Hoge continues busy summer

Tristen Hoge worked out at Stanford this past weekend, landed another major offer and now the Cardinal has to be considered one of the favorites in his recruitment.

The 2015 offensive lineman from Pocatello (Idaho) Highland who shined at the Rivals250 Underclassmen Challenge this summer near Dallas said the Stanford trip thoroughly impressed him and is now near the top of his extensive list.

"It started with Friday Night Lights," Hoge said. "I did really well there and the coaches really loved it. I woke up the next morning and went to the junior day. They have a great facility. It's massive and very beautiful and I really loved it.

"I had lunch with some of the professors and that was really cool sitting down with some of the professors and talking about what they teach, how they teach and it was really good. After that I went back and had position meetings and at the end of the day coach (David) Shaw sat me down and said I have the offer."

Now that Hoge has been offered by Stanford, the 2015 prospect said it's right up at the top of his list with Notre Dame. The Irish still hold a slight advantage but Stanford is in striking distance.

"It was huge for me," Hoge said of the Stanford offer. "It's another prestigious school that I have under my belt that has offered me. They offer great academics and athletics at the same time. Coach Shaw is doing great things at that place and is making it a massive powerhouse.

"I'd say Notre Dame and them are pretty close. They both have great academics and athletics and that's really big for me. I'd say Notre Dame still has a little bit of an edge."

So far, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound prospect has been offered by Boise State, BYU, Florida, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford, Utah and Washington State.

One more trip, to Florida, is coming up and Hoge is definitely interested in the SEC power.

"I called coach (Will) Muschamp at Florida and he offered me on Thursday," Hoge said.

"I'm planning on going down there August 5 to visit the campus. That's definitely a big school in the SEC, they're grade-A for breeding football players for the NFL and it's a great school. I can't wait to get down there and see what it's like."