BYU offensive lineman Tristen Hoge was flattened by COVID-19. His is a cautionary tale — with a happy ending

Provo • After completing his quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test result back in September, BYU offensive lineman Tristen Hoge was excited to go back to football practice. But, by the end of that workout, Hoge knew something was wrong.

The senior struggled through the entire practice and started wheezing, likening his voice to that of Darth Vader.

“They took me to the doctor right after practice, got me an X-ray and it looked like a spider had weaved a home in my lungs with all the pneumonic fluid that was all over my lungs,” Hoge told The Salt Lake Tribune. “That sent me into another thing of now having to fight pneumonia right after [contracting COVID-19]. I was like, ‘man, will it ever end?’”

Suddenly, the 23-year-old became the prime example of how even the young and fit demographic isn’t immune to the virus, although the majority of that group typically is asymptomatic or has minor symptoms. In Hoge’s case, COVID-19 led to pneumonia.

In Utah, 15- to 24-year-olds make up 24% of the state’s coronavirus cases. The 25-44 demographic leads all age groups, making up 35% of cases.

The 6-foot-5 guard missed four games in the 2020 season, but made the best of what turned out to be an unforgettable senior season at BYU. In fact, Hoge is now in Florida — at the Bommarito Performance Systems — where he will continue to prepare for the 2021 NFL draft and for the chance to play professionally.

“Tristen has the talent and work ethic to be able to accomplish anything that he sets his mind to,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “He is the type of person that won’t let minor setbacks or failures deter him from his goals. I have no doubt that I can expect great things from Tristen in the future.”

Surviving COVID-19

When the pandemic initially canceled the remainder of spring football, Hoge felt the situation was off-putting. The scenes at school and stores seemed almost like that of an apocalypse. He remember the memes and jokes that started popping up on social media in March, of young adults taking advantage of cheap flights to go abroad and such.

Hoge also remembers the sense of urgency people in Provo had at the time.

The BYU lineman didn’t fall into either of those categories — he didn’t make light of it, but wasn’t panicked by the virus either.

“[My mentality] was more like I’m going to do my part; I’ll stay indoors so I’m not possibly affecting anybody with it,” Hoge said. “But I understood the gravity of the situation.”

Shortly after the Cougars’ season opener at Navy on Sept. 7, Hoge started to come down with symptoms. It started with a scratchy throat, which he initially believed was allergy related, but things got continuously worse the following days.

The 23-year-old believes he contracted the virus while traveling to or from Annapolis, Maryland. Someone could have been asymptomatic, guiding the virus not only to Hoge, but multiple players on the BYU team. The outbreak caused the Cougars to cancel their game at Army the next week.

Hoge received his positive diagnosis Sept. 13.

“It didn’t really shock me at that point,” Hoge said. “I said ‘OK that makes sense. Now I kind of have a clear idea of what I’m dealing with.’ And then it was downhill from there.”

The Idaho native’s initial symptoms resembled the flu, he said. Hoge dealt with fatigue, constant headaches, vomiting, soreness and had a fever once. The fatigue caused Hoge to sleep for 10 hours, wake up and feel like he had just gone to bed.

But what threw Hoge for the largest loop was the loss of taste and smell, especially because of how much he loves food. So, Hoge had a little experiment.

“I tried straight lemon juice — I couldn’t get a taste,” Hoge said. “I knew it was sour, but I wasn’t tasting it. I tried straight Tabasco and that did nothing to me. It wasn’t even that spicy to me. I tried smelling garlic, all the strongest smells — even horseradish — nothing. It wasn’t registering. I knew how it should smell, but it wasn’t coming through.”

Then came the pneumonia.

Making his case about the virus

Initially, Marty Hoge (Tristen’s father) considered the pandemic to be a bit of a hoax. He initially believed it was a government-run thing to mess with businesses or something of the like.

When he saw his son not only battle COVID-19, but get diagnosed with pneumonia, Marty Hoge recognized he was wrong about the pandemic and decided to take to social media to share a message with Cougar fans.

In his more-than-two-minute video, Marty Hoge said “health is more important than football” and asked fans “to take it serious.”

“I said I don’t think we’re really, as a fan base, as parents, as whatever, taking it serious enough, whether it be the mask mandate or the social distancing,” Marty Hoge said in a phone interview. “I wanted to let everyone know, ‘look, this is very, very serious. Don’t come around me if you don’t believe it.’ And I was a skeptic as well — to the highest degree.”

Tristen supported his father’s decision to make a public statement about his situation and hoped it would help.

“I think it woke a lot of people up,” Tristen Hoge said. “The fans understood the threat of COVID and … they start to realize COVID is a little serious. We’re having young people getting affected, athletes and all that stuff. So I think it kind of woke people up and reaffirmed those who were already siding with COVID.”

Tristen Hoge was one of many BYU football players who ended up contracting the virus. But he and his father were the most vocal about his experience.

Marty Hoge, who, along with his wife, went on to contract COVID-19 later in 2020, wished more BYU players would have used their platform to spread awareness.

“I feel like when Zach Wilson came out, here’s a guy with a big platform, and he said it’s like a cold — no big deal,” Marty Hoge said. “He played it off like ‘hey man, I was hanging out with my buddies. We all got it. We all feel the same way.’ That sends out another message. It doesn’t affect everybody the same way. I get it. But for the most part, it’s not a fun one.”

The big next step

Hoge, who started his collegiate career at Notre Dame, but transferred to BYU in 2017, is now being considered one of the most versatile offensive linemen available in the 2021 draft.

The Cougar lineman started in seven of the eight games he played in last season, but his biggest role may have been off the field.

“Tristen was an extremely important part of our team,” Sitake said. “He was a vocal leader on and off the field. He was a player that truly led by example. His work ethic and energy in the weight room and on the field pushed his teammates to be better. He is a skilled player, but more importantly a leader and that’s where he had the greatest impact on this team.”

Just as COVID-19 has has a profound impact in the past year, so it continues into 2021.

There will be no in-person workouts held at the combine. Instead, workouts will take place during individual pro days on college campuses. And as far as team interviews with prospects, they will be done virtually.

Hoge is bummed he won’t have the traditional combine experience in Indianapolis, but is rolling with the punches and will continue to work out.

“It’s kind of sad,” Hoge said. “It’s something I didn’t expect, but COVID strikes again.”

Luckily, the 23-year-old is now fully recovered from both COVID-19 and pneumonia — as well as the sprained MCL sustained in the Boca Raton Bowl against UCF — and is still excited for what the future will bring, whatever that may be.

“Really, my expectation is to take what comes,” Hoge said. “As my agent always says, you always prepare to go undrafted. Being drafted — that’s a privilege. Of course, I have the hopes of being drafted, but I’m also an opportunist. If I go undrafted, I’ll take that team that wants to sign me as a free agent and be able to take that opportunity to make a name for myself and make roster. That’s just how the thing will go. No matter what, it won’t impede my work ethic.”