LOS ANGELES -- A half-decade ago, Kevin Hogan was a relative unknown in the midst of Stanford football giants. He was one of many fresh faces, virtually obscured by Andrew Luck’s shadow -- until his athleticism turned heads in a summer pickup basketball game.

“He grabbed a rebound and he just took off,” Stanford center Graham Shuler remembered. “It seemed like it took him only two strides to cross the court, and he took off again from the free throw line to put in a finger roll over everybody. It was like -- ‘Yo! Who in the world was that?’”

It was the freshman who’s about to become the first quarterback in Pac-12 history to start three Rose Bowls.

Nearly five years later, Hogan is now Stanford’s elder statesman. He’s climbed through tragedy and triumph throughout his epic journey -- his father, Jerry, died last year after a bout with cancer -- to complete a saga that's already come full circle and is about to enjoy a grand ending.

As a freshman in 2012, Hogan helped revive a sputtering Cardinal offense at the helm of the program’s first Rose Bowl victory in 40 years. He led the team back to Pasadena the following season. It seemsonly fitting, then, that his college career will end in yet another return to The Granddaddy of Them All.

Hogan is set to join Ohio State’s Cornelius Greene (1974-76) and Michigan’s Rick Leach (1977-79) as only the third quarterback in college football history to start three Rose Bowls.

“I’ve grown through some adversity in my life and along my journey,” Hogan said. “It’s about how you respond to it. And I feel like I’ve done a good job of handling it and becoming the best player that I could be, the best leader for this team that I can be. That’s what my job is.”

And those inside the Stanford program say Hogan has grown to master that job over the years. During his first Rose Bowl run three years ago, Hogan was a quiet presence -- "a leader by example," according to offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren. Now, in his final go-round, Hogan has morphed into a vocal field general, and it's no coincidence the Cardinal offense has surged to the Pac-12's top spot, averaging 40.9 points per game.

"I don't know if we can ever put a value on experience," Bloomgren said. "Just having a guy who's started for four years, they're so few and far between in college football now. ... His leadership is at a place now where it makes your life as a coach easier. I can hardly get my mouth open and Kevin is already on somebody."

For Hogan, the quest to ensure the Stanford offense attained this season's prolific level of productivity started with instilling trust and selflessness in the passing game. Even though the Cardinal have won three Pac-12 titles in four seasons, it hasn't been all smooth sailing for them -- particularly on offense, where Hogan endured violent ups and downs throughout 2013 and 2014.

So he's particularly proud of the stability attained here in 2015, exemplified by a midseason moment in which Bloomgren texted him and the receivers, asking them what their favorite play in the passing game was. Devon Cajuste answered with "the angle post to Michael Rector," which drew a quizzical response from Bloomgren: "You're not even the primary read, and you're not even getting the ball on this play."

Hogan remembers Cajuste's response: "It doesn't matter; I think Rector will score on it, so it's my favorite play."

"That just shows that everyone cares about each other," Hogan said. "No one cares about their individual stats because that'll come with the overall team's success."

And coaches say that it's precisely that mentality that is an embodiment of Hogan's mature influence on the Stanford offense. He's never posted raw numbers as gaudy as California's Jared Goff or Washington State's Luke Falk, but his efficiency has made that irrelevant this season: Hogan ranks in the national top five in both quarterback rating and yards per attempt, and this proficiency punched another Rose Bowl ticket.

"I feel like I've mastered the offense," Hogan said. "At times throughout my career, I was maybe trying to be too perfect, and now I've been able to relax and just take a deep breath and enjoy the moment."

Hogan plans to make a run at the NFL after this season, but projecting his draft position is a futile endeavor, given the multiple variables at play. There's only one certainty right now: Hogan's trials have molded him into an excellent college quarterback, one who has guided as much -- or more -- team prosperity as many of the most famous names in college football history.

"Now he is confident Kev," Bloomgren said. "This is his team. He's going to make sure people are playing to the level we demand."

For just one more game, in the iconic Rose Bowl that's become emblematic of his career.