Cade Stover
American football player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.
Stover with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2023 | |||||||||||
| No. 87 – Houston Texans | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | June 12, 2000 Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 251 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Lexington (Lexington, Ohio) | ||||||||||
| College | Ohio State (2019–2023) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2024: 4th round, 123rd overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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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 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
| 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] | ||||||||||||
2024
Stover was selected with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.[13] He made 15 appearances (nine starts) during his rookie campaign for Houston, recording 15 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown.
2025
In Houston's season-opening game against the Los Angeles Rams, Stover recorded four receptions for 22 yards. However, he suffered a broken foot in the contest, and was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2025.[14] Stover was activated on November 15, ahead of the team's Week 11 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.[15]