_(cropped).jpg) Stover with theOhio State Buckeyes in 2023 | |||||||||||
| No. 87 – Houston Texans | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (2000-06-12)June 12, 2000 (age 25) 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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Cade Stover (born June 12, 2000) is an American professionalfootballtight end for theHouston Texans of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOhio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Texans in the fourth round of the2024 NFL draft.
Stover was born on June 12, 2000, inMansfield,Ohio, later attendingLexington High School inLexington, 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]
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 the2022 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]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+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 fromNFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Stover was selected with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round of the2024 NFL draft by theHouston Texans.[13] He made 15 appearances (nine starts) during his rookie campaign for Houston, recording 15 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown.
In Houston's season-opening game against theLos 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 theTennessee Titans.[15]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2024 | HOU | 15 | 9 | 15 | 133 | 8.9 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | HOU | 9 | 7 | 12 | 76 | 6.3 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 24 | 16 | 27 | 209 | 7.7 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2024 | HOU | 1 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | HOU | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 2 | 7 | 43 | 6.1 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |