German QB trying to make it at TCU
When you are a German quarterback preparing to play big-time college football in America, there’s going to be a learning curve.
Like the time Alexander
Honig met Jim Harbaugh but hadn’t known that the Michigan head coach played 14 NFL seasons.
“I only knew him as a coach at first,” Honig said. “My dad told me that he played for Chicago and some other teams, and that he played for Michigan as well.”
No worries, though, because what he lacked in knowledge of gridiron history, he made up for in size, skills and potential. The 18-year-old Honig is taking his talents from Bavaria to Texas — he has committed to play at
TCU on a scholarship beginning next year — with dreams of becoming an NFL QB.
Standing nearly 6-foot-6 and weighing 235 pounds with a strong arm, Honig looks the part. Sounds it, too. In fluent English, he explains that he needs to outwork competitors and win over doubters because patience may be limited for the German kid playing the most important position.
“Especially in Texas, football is like a religion down there,” he said. “They don’t want to have a European losing their games.”
Even with TCU’S opener against SMU postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Honig is itching to watch games online and possibly attend a home game this season. He plans to officially sign in December — the earliest opportunity for recruits to do so — and ultimately move to Texas in January.
“I’m getting goosebumps thinking about it,” he said.
Honig hasn’t played this season because his German club league was postponed. He’s working out on his own and studying defenses through Jordan Palmer’s online program.
Honig, whose father played American football in Germany, said the NFL is “the end goal, but right now I’m trying to focus on getting playing time at TCU.”
“For me, it’s always crucial to get my name out in the U.S. football world because I think they still don’t like the idea of having a European quarterback,” Honig said. “I try to prove them wrong with every chance I get.”