Hodge playing like big brother
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard linebacker Elijah Hodge has a tough act to follow if he is going to someday be as good as his older brother Abdul Hodge who is currently a linebacker for the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, the younger Hodge certainly appears to be ready for the task.
“I haven’t really picked up any new offers lately,” Hodge said. “I have gotten calls from Miami, Iowa, NC State, Duke, Auburn, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. I have not been able to get to any games this year so far and I don’t know if I will be able to go anywhere this weekend.”
Advertisement
The 6-foot-0, 195-pound attended the NIKE camp in Miami in early April where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. He ran the shuttle in 4.25 seconds, had a vertical leap of 25 inches and did 17 reps on the bench press.
“My list of favorites is still pretty much the same as it has been,” Hodge said. “I still have the official visit set up for Iowa on December 10, but I have not set up any others yet.”
Though his team has started 0-2 this season Hodge has collected 26 tackles and recovered one fumble in only two games. With their busy schedules Elijah doesn’t talk to his brother often, but when he does he says there is no pressure from older brother to become a Hawkeye.
“He doesn’t really try to get me to come to Iowa,” Hodge said. “He tells me it is a great school and he thinks I should give it a look, but he has never pressured me. He just tells me to do my own thing and check everything out before I make a decision.”