Michael Hoecht (born October 5, 1997) is a Canadian-born American football linebacker for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the Brown Bears.

Early years

Hoecht was born in Oakville, Ontario and lived in Canada until his family moved to Oakwood, Ohio (a community within Dayton, Ohio) when he was three years old. His family moved back to Canada for two years before he started high school, where he lived in

Stittsville Stittsville is a suburban community, part of the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario. It is within the former Goulbourn Township. A part of the National Capital Region, Stittsville is immediately to the southwest of Kanata, adjacent to Richmon ...

, where he went to South Carleton High School, then Toronto ( North Toronto Collegiate Institute), before returning to Oakwood, Ohio, where he attended Oakwood High School for his final two years of high school.

College career

Hoecht played for the Brown Bears for four seasons. He was named second-team All- Ivy League as a senior after finishing the season with 42 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and four sacks. Hoecht finished his collegiate career with 174 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, and 16.5 sacks with two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 37 games played.

Statistics

Professional career

Hoecht was signed by the

as an undrafted free agent following the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

on April 26, 2020. He was also selected by the Ottawa Redblacks in the second round of the

2020 CFL Draft The 2020 CFL Draft took place on April 30, 2020 at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS.. 73 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCA ...

. Hoecht was waived by the Rams on September 4, 2020, during final roster cuts, and was subsequently signed to the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

one day later where he spent his first season. In his second year, Hoecht signed a reserve/futures contract with the team on January 18, 2021. Hoecht made the Rams' 53-man roster out of training camp to start the 2021 season. Hoecht played in all 17 regular season games that year with three starts and had seven tackles. In that year, he also played in all four of the Rams' postseason games, including the team's 23–20 win over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...

. For the entire 2022 season, Hoecht was on the Rams’ active roster. Midway through the season the Rams moved Hoecht’s position from

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. As a starter in the final seven games, Hoecht produced 34 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 8 quarterback hits. On March 15, 2023, the Rams tendered Hoecht as an exclusive rights free agent for the 2023 season which he signed a week later. Hoecht went on to start every game of the 2023 season opposite rookie Byron Young, logging 6 sacks, 81 tackles, a forced fumble, 7 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits. He helped the Rams clinch a playoff berth and produced half a sack and 2 quarterback hits in their 23-24 loss to the Detroit Lions in the Wildcard Round.

References

External links

Brown Bears bio

Los Angeles Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoecht, Michael 1997 births Living people American football defensive tackles Los Angeles Rams players Players of American football from Ohio Brown Bears football players Players of American football from Ontario American football linebackers