Cade Stover

Cade Stover (born June 12, 2000) is an American professional football tight end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Texans in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Cade Stover

Stover with The Ohio State Buckeyes in 2023
No. 87 – Houston Texans
Position:	Tight end
Personal information
Born:	(2000-06-12) June 12, 2000 (age 25) Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	251 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lexington (Lexington, Ohio)
College:	Ohio State (2019–2023)
NFL draft:	2024: 4th round, 123rd pick
Career history
Houston Texans (2024–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Big Ten Tight End of the Year (2023) First-team All-Big Ten (2023) Third-team All-Big Ten (2022)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Receptions: 15 Receiving yards: 133 Receiving touchdowns: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Stover was born on June 12, 2000, in Mansfield, Ohio, later attending Lexington High School in Lexington, Ohio.^[1][2] He was named Ohio's Mr. Football and the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior after rushing for 1,477 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense and recording 163 tackles and four interceptions on defense.^[3] Stover also set Lexington's all-time scoring and rebounding records in basketball.^[4] He was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Ohio State over offers from Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, and Wisconsin.^[5]

College career

Stover was initially recruited to play linebacker at Ohio State, but was moved to defensive end before the start of his freshman season. He played in four games before redshirting the season. Stover was moved to tight end during spring practice in 2020.^[6] He returned back to linebacker during the season.^[7] Stover was again moved to tight end for his redshirt junior season and caught five passes for 76 yards.^[8] He played linebacker in the 2022 Rose Bowl due to a shortage of players at the position.^[9] In 2023, Stover was one of the three finalists for the Mackey Award, which is awarded to the nation's best tight end.^[10]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Vertical jump	Broad jump
6 ft 3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m)	247 lb (112 kg)	32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.65 s	1.59 s	2.72 s	4.45 s	34.5 in (0.88 m)	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

Stover was selected with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.^[13]