Linfield's Alex Hoff eyes a national title, and school's sack record
By Nick Daschel for Oregonian 11/26/2015 (electronically) and 11/27/2015 (in print).
McMINNVILLE -- The road to college football recruiting often takes strange twists, particularly at the lower levels where it's often about turning over unusual rocks to find an impact player.
Linfield coach Joseph Smith was once in Bend at Mountain View High School, talking to some of the team's players. He asked several who was the toughest player they faced all season.
To a man, they told him this kid at Lebanon. Smith was intrigued. He did some research, and found out this "kid" happened to be the half-brother to Linfield's Tyler Steele, then an all-American defensive tackle.
"I thought, if he's half as good as Tyler, he's a top guy for us," Smith said.
Alex Hoff has turned out to be more than a starter and a top guy for the Wildcats. The senior defensive end is already the school's career leader in tackles for loss with 66, and is closing in on Linfield's record for career sacks. Hoff has 33, three behind record-holder Jim Mayo (1977-79).
Should the No. 2 Wildcats make an extended run in the NCAA Division III playoffs, which continue with a second-round game against Cortland State (N.Y) Saturday in McMinnville, Hoff could finish among the national career top 10 in both categories.
"I just wanted to come here and play football and be the best I can be. It feels awesome to be among the greats of Division III," Hoff said.
Frankly, Hoff's sack and tackle-loss totals may be far greater if he weren't playing on a dominant team like Linfield. The past two seasons, as the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Hoff as flourished, the Wildcats have put away most of their opponents by halftime. Hoff rarely plays into the third quarter of most regular season games.
"We go up 50 points in the first half and the coach gives me the look that you're probably going to be done soon. Last year, I had the ability to talk him into a few more series," Hoff said.
That's among the reasons Linfield is excited for the playoffs. First, the competition is better, which ought to keep Hoff on the field for longer periods of time. Second, playoff opponents don't know Hoff like Northwest Conference teams. Maybe there's a chance they might not try every gimmick known to an offensive coordinator to slow down the Wildcats' elite pass rusher.
Hoff has shined during Linfield's past two postseasons. During the Wildcats' seven playoff games in 2013-14, Hoff has 8 1/2 sacks and 12 1/2 tackles for loss.
"That's when his numbers go crazy, because they don't all realize how good he is," Smith said.
Smith and defensive coordinator Jackson Vaughan penciled in Hoff as a defensive end from the outset of his Linfield career, though as a 200-pound freshman, he looked more like a linebacker.
Midway through his sophomore year, Hoff's speed began to overtake opposing offensive linemen. Last year as a junior, Hoff was a tour de force, racking up 27 1/2 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.
Hoff loves to win first and foremost, but as a defensive end, he likes those sack numbers, too. As they piled up a year ago, Hoff couldn't help but notice.
"I'd say last year I looked a lot more than this year. It was my first big year and a lot of it was real new to me. This year, I've been trying to stay away from it," Hoff said.
Hoff says he had never heard of Linfield until Steele began playing for the Wildcats. He attended a few games as a high school junior and senior, got the pitch from Smith, and decided to join his brother.
"It seemed like the right fit," Hoff said.
As for his football future, the NFL is usually a steep uphill climb for anyone in Division III, and that includes Hoff.
"He's a tweener body type," said Smith, "which is why we have him."
Hoff plans to give professional football a go until they say no. Smith thinks he would fit well as a pass rusher in a 3-4 defense. NFL scouts were on campus last spring to get his measurables and test his speed.
Hoff says he's been told he has the size of an NFL linebacker, but would need to upgrade his coverage skills. Hoff sees himself as a Clay Matthews-type defender.
"This offseason is going to have to be my hardest offseason ever. I do have aspirations and I'll do whatever I can to make it happen," Hoff said.
