Article written by: Isaac Edelman – Contributor
When a high school football player commits to a college, it’s natural to start dreaming about competing at the next level.
For Branden Hoch, a St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver and FAU signee, he had only one goal in mind: winning a state championship.
And that goal was achieved on Dec. 12 when the Raiders beat Lakeland 34-0 in the 5A state championship game at Pitbull Stadium in Miami.
That capped off a 12-3 season for St. Thomas, and it marked their sixth consecutive state title.
Hoch finished the season with 36 catches for 471 yards and six touchdowns.
In his high school football career, which featured a two-year stint at North Broward Prep and a one-year stint at West Boca Raton, Hoch recorded 18 touchdowns and 1,373 receiving yards.
“I had a very great high school career,” Hoch said. “I’ve been at many places and I’ve learned a lot of things. I ended off the best way possible by winning a state championship at St. Thomas. It was very special to me.”
Hoch, who is a three-star according to 247Sports, got a prestigious honor by being selected to play in the 2024 Dade vs. Broward All-Star Game on Dec. 21. Hoch shined in front of South Florida’s best players and coaches, recording multiple big catches, including a 25-yard touchdown grab in the back corner of the end zone.
Hoch, who is from Boca Raton, will now stay home by playing at the next level at FAU.
“I am going to go into FAU and do what I got to do,” Hoch said. “I’m only going to be a freshman, but I plan on playing early.”
One of the benefits of staying home is the ability to draw a lot of friends and family week in and week out.
“Everyone can come watch me in Boca and that means a lot to me,” Hoch said.
FAU enters a new era just in time for Hoch to join the team. After the firing of head coach Tom Herman, who had a 6-16 record in less than two seasons with the team, the Owls hired Zach Kittley, who was the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech last season.
“That’s the best news I heard,” Hoch said. “Zach Kittley has a great resume and I’m excited to be in that offense. FAU just got a new quarterback from Western Kentucky. I’m very excited to work with him and the new coaches and the air raid offense.”
As he should be, Hoch is very excited that Caden Veltkamp, the 2024 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, will now be throwing him the ball this upcoming season. Veltkamp threw for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns with 10 interceptions this past season.
If it can’t get any better, Veltkamp will be letting the ball fly much more this year as Kittley utilizes an air raid offense. That’s exactly what every wide receiver dreams of when being apart of a college football offense.
Before Hoch officially moves in to FAU in the summer, he plans to “keep working, get my body better, and keep getting better everyday.”
It will be intriguing to see how much of an impact Hoch makes in his first year at FAU. Though he’ll likely bide his time waiting for his name to be called, once the opportunity arises, he’ll be ready to make his mark.
At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Hoch is a versatile receiver with impressive length and a strong ability to go up and snag contested catches. In addition to his receiving skills, he’s also a standout blocker, adding a well-rounded dimension to his game.
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