Former Glen Lake Sports Star Goes Viral For Spectacular College Football Catch

“That could have been the best catch I have ever seen.”

So enthused an elated ESPN commentator this weekend after former Glen Lake High School football standout Finn Hogan managed a replay-worthy one-handed catch in the end-zone to score his first-ever touchdown for the Bowling Green State University Falcons.

The catch, which occurred late in the second quarter of Bowling Green’s Saturday game against Georgia Tech, gave the Falcons their first lead of the contest, which they never gave back. Bowling Green ultimately walked away with a 38-27 victory.

The big game was the realization of a long-held dream for Hogan, who graduated from Glen Lake High School in 2021. Hogan played four years of varsity football, earning more than a few strong notices along the way – including first-team all-state honors as a senior and the 2021 Male Athlete of the Year award from the Traverse City Record-Eagle. A wide receiver, Hogan tallied 34 receptions, 744 yards, and seven touchdowns during his senior season. The year before, he was instrumental in taking the Lakers all the way to a Division 6 state title game – though Glen Lake ultimately lost that bout to Monroe St. Mary, 0-7.

Beyond football, Hogan’s high school days saw him competing in basketball and track and field. In the latter, he claimed four school records, and even brought home an individual state title in the 400.

Despite the strong athletic performances, though, Hogan didn’t initially get much recruiting attention from college football programs.

“I think a lot of recruiters and programs overlook people from our area,” Hogan says of northern Michigan. “It makes it really tough for kids to get exposure and put themselves out there. I struggled with that a lot.”

After graduation, the star Laker headed off to Mt. Pleasant, where he joined the Central Michigan University (CMU) football team as a walk-on. Hogan redshirted his freshman season with an injury, but saw significant play last season, racking up 15 appearances and six starts. Throughout the season, he tallied 19 receptions, 155 yards, and one touchdown, against Penn State.

In April, Hogan announced that he had decided “to enter the transfer portal to explore my opportunities for my next three years of eligibility.” Then, just a few weeks later, he shared the news that he had committed to play wide receiver at Bowling Green.

“At CMU, we weren’t able to work out scholarship stuff, so my family and I ultimately made the decision that we would explore options elsewhere,” Hogan tells the Leelanau Ticker. “That’s why we ended up entering the portal, and then Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler and assistant coach Eric Campbell reached out pretty quickly. They gave me the opportunity to come down here to Bowling Green and have full-ride scholarship. Obviously, free school in this day and age is unbelievable. So, I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity, and I'm just trying to pay it back now.”

He's well on his way to “paying it back”: Thanks to last weekend’s game, Hogan is now the talk of the town in college football.

Stats-wise, Hogan would have been on the highlight reel for Bowling Green’s win against Georgia Tech even without his improbable touchdown catch. Of quarterback Connor Bazelak’s 263 passing yards in that game, Hogan accounted for 102 of them, snatching six receptions total.

But it’s the one-handed touchdown grab that is now the calling card for this northern Michigan native. Hogan made that reception with Bowling Green staring down a potential 10-14 halftime deficit, and with the arms of Georgia Tech safety LaMiles Brooks around him, ready for a tackle. But Hogan made full use of his 6-foot-5 frame to save the play, reaching out his right hand to pull the ball in, and then holding on for the touchdown as he tumbled to the turf.

Video of the play quickly went viral, with numerous prognosticators immediately flagging it as a potential “catch of the year” candidate. Sports Illustrated christened the catch as one of its three best plays of the week in college football, while ESPN’s SportCenter highlighted it as part of the prestigious daily “Top 10 Plays” roundup.

Hogan also earned some public praise from his head coach, who was asked about the wide receiver’s impressive catch in the aftermath of Saturday’s game.

“He is exactly what we’re looking for, and what I mean by that is, he is a team dude,” Coach Loeffler said of Hogan during a post-game press conference. “He is smart, he is tough. He exemplifies everything we want in our program. He’s a good student, he does things great off the field. Just a top, top-notch guy, and normally when you’re like that, you play really well. He played really well, and he’ll continue to play really well.”

While Hogan is soaking up the love from his coaches, his team, and the whole college football ecosystem, he says he’s also making sure to keep his head down and focus on the work. That includes the rest of the 2023 season and his two remaining years of college football eligibility, as well as his academic studies as a marketing major.

And in the longer term?

“I think every player at this level has aspirations of playing in the NFL,” Hogan says. “If I can stay on this path, and listen to my coaches, and continue to evolve as a player and person, I’d like to think that, down the line, that opportunity will arise for me. That’s the game plan at the moment.”

Photo credit: Kyle Hess, Bowling Green State University Athletics