First-year QB Hauss Hejny was named the No. 12 quarterback recruit in his high school class by 247 Sports. Photo by Lily Margaret Greenway

I’ve dreamt of being a TCU football player my entire life, and the story of how I got here was set into motion before I was even born.  

My mom was a two-sport athlete from Cisco, Texas, a small town about an hour and a half west of Fort Worth. She found out she was pretty good at both basketball and track, and she was getting Division I interest from basketball programs across the nation. But like me, she’s really family-oriented and wanted to stay close to home, so TCU was an easy choice for her. My dad had a very different story. My grandpa was in the military, so my dad grew up constantly moving until he settled outside of Reno, Nevada, for high school. He started playing football for a junior college in California, and his head coach knew Coach Gary Patterson. My dad accepted his offer from TCU without even coming down to tour the campus. 

My parents met in study hall while they were both athletes at TCU: my mom slipped her number on my dad’s study hall table, and my dad had no idea who left it there. But that night, he called her, and that’s where it all started. They had me while they were still in college, so as a newborn, I went to class with them! We lived in an apartment right off campus and settled in Aledo when I was about 5. That’s where I have spent most of my life. 

Hauss Hejny (back, right) is the son of two former Horned Frog athletes: JimAnne Hejny (back, center), a women’s basketball player and long jumper at TCU, and Jesse Hejny, who played football in college. Courtesy of the Hejny family

When I first started playing football, or rather, flag football, I was horrible. I was just a kid who had no idea what I was doing. But I stuck with the game and eventually started to figure it out. In first grade, I played tackle football for the first time, and that’s when I found my love for the game and realized I could be pretty good at it.  

My goal was to be a TCU football player. My family grew up going to every sporting event TCU had — football, baseball, basketball, track meets, you name it. I’ve been a diehard TCU fan since birth. I screamed at the TV during away games, cried when we lost and wore purple every weekend. I was obsessed and still am. 

Hauss Hejny has been a Horned Frog fan his entire life. Courtesy of the Hejny family

When I started my recruitment journey, one of the main things my parents and I discussed was that none of us wanted me to pick TCU just because they went here. TCU was always in my heart because of my family, but I wanted it to be the right pick for me. Honestly, I looked for every reason not to go to TCU and tried to escape my bias, but there was no doubt this program was the right fit for me.  

In addition to the winning culture and my deep-rooted history with this campus, I’m only 25 minutes from home. Last week, my brother Beau had a middle school football game, and I was able to watch him because I had the afternoon off. My brothers and I are really close, and we’re all five years apart in age — Beau is 13, and Jett is 8. Sometimes, they’ll come down to spend the night at my apartment and hang out, and I’m blessed to watch them grow up and mature a little more every time I see them. 

I always wanted to chase the path of being an elite quarterback and playing at the college level, so it’s neat to see my brothers start to have the same work ethic that I found in middle school and fall in love with the same game. Beau is beginning to lock in and focus on football, and every time I see Jett, he wants to throw the ball with me and practice. He asks me to help coach him, and he listens, too. He’s at the age where he wants to learn, so I’m eating it up just helping him out with that. 

As a new college student, I’ve had to find my footing outside of my parents’ household. Especially over the last few months, I have matured a lot in making my own decisions, navigating rough patches and learning from my mistakes. But throughout this first semester, I’ve learned to keep my values at my core.  

Hauss Hejny, then a recruit, visiting TCU with brothers Beau (left) and Jett. Courtesy of the Hejny family

My first value is to put God first, always. In the good times, give glory to God, and in the bad times, never stray away from him. I understand that everything happens for his purpose, and he already has my path planned out. All I have to do is work for his glory and do my best in everything I commit to, and he will bless me. My second value is family. My family comes second only to God. And the third truth I abide by is to stay true to myself and be a good person. I’m constantly working to remain calm, smooth and steady and keep a smile on my face. I believe in being kind to people, lifting others up by making their day and not taking a single blessing for granted.  

Growing up, I spent every TCU home game looking down from the stands of Amon G. Carter Stadium and watching the football players run through the smoke as they entered the field. The seats where my family has sat throughout my whole life are right above the tunnel, so when I ran out a couple of months ago during my first home game as a Horned Frog, I turned around and saw my parents waving at me from our row. Life has flown by since I was a kid sitting up there with them. The moment made me pretty emotional because I’m living the dream I’ve chased my whole life. Thank God for that. 

— As told to Lily Margaret Greenway

Editor’s Note: These responses have been edited for length and clarity.