Noah Williford
Staff Writer
RJR in its 101-year history has been no stranger to outstanding athletics. Home to over 40 athletic teams and a handful of conference and state championships, the school has been a prime example of excellence in sports. A lasting example of this excellence is Texas Christian University linebacker Jamoi Hodge.
Hodge played at RJR from 2016 to 2020 under head coach Pat Crowley. During his time at RJR, the demons had the most success in seven years, something Hodge remembers fondly.
“I have great memories there,” Hodge said. “Senior night against Glenn, playing on the field, I was on a team that went to the playoffs, we lost in the first round but that was the first year we’d gone since 2009.”
Hodge had always had dreams of higher levels of football. Throughout high school, he established himself as a strong competitor and a promising prospect for college scouts. His dreams however would reach a hiccup during his senior year, as he was disqualified from D1 athletics due to his lack of SAT score. Hodge did not give up, however, finding an alternate route through the National Junior College Athletic Association, also known as JUCO.
“I had taken my SAT, but I didn’t get my score back until I had already been in JUCO for a month,” Hodge said. “When I got my scores back I was a D1 qualifier, so I just had to do junior college for that season, around six months.”
JUCO to D1 is a common tactic in modern-day athletics to ensure success even if opportunities don’t come out of high school. Players play for a season or two, show off their skills to bigger schools, and transfer from there. Hodge finished out his JUCO career the third-best outside linebacker in North Carolina, 47th best in the nation.
“I left Independance with over 20 D1 offers,” Hodge said. “I chose TCU.”
Going from a community college recruit to the highest level of college athletics is something Hodge sees as a pivotal moment in his life.
“I’ll say, out of everything that I’ve done, my proudest moment is being able to come from JUCO to TCU and start there and win big games,” Hodge said. “Ever since I was younger I’ve dreamed of playing D1 Power Five football.”
In his first year with TCU, Hodge put up 58 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack in just 12 games. In 2022 his numbers only improved, increasing to 82 total tackles with 8 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one interception.
This high-level gameplay during the 2022-2023 season was not just something that was seen in Hodge at TCU. That season, TCU went 13-0 in the regular season, qualifying for the College Football Playoffs for the first time in 12 years. In the first round, TCU beat two-seed Michigan 51-45, taking the school to their first national championship since 1938 where they would face the University of Georgia.
“It’s different too because it was the two best teams in the nation going against each other,” Hodge said. “It was a big stage. Only two teams get to experience that each year. It was very special for me to be able to experience that in my college career.”
The game did not go TCU’s way. They were met with one of the most dominant performances in college football history, losing the championship 65-7, the largest national championship point deficit ever.
A week after the season ended, Hodge flew out for surgery, trying to repair the major in-season injuries that kept him from declaring from the 2023 NFL Draft.
“That year we went to the national championship, some seniors asked why I didn’t come out for the draft,” Hodge said. “I had a shoulder injury that I had to fix. I played the whole season on a torn labrum that year. After we played Georgia, I had a surgery the next week to go fix up my shoulder. I knew if I had to fix up my shoulder most teams would go “he’s hurt, he’s not gonna be able to compete and do all the combine stuff,’ so I decided to come back, get healthier and go the following year.”
Hodge was not done yet despite setbacks. He took everything from the previous season in stride, using his downfalls to optimize his play in 2023.
“Even though we didn’t win, that’s still something great I was able to be a part of,” Hodge said. “I try to turn the negatives into positives. I hurt my shoulder, I had to get surgery, but I knew God had his plan. Sometimes I look at stuff like that and I’m glad I went ahead and fixed it up so that now I have no problems, no injuries, my shoulder is fine, I am healthy.”
Hodge stayed focused through the end of his college career, finishing the 2023 season with 83 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced incompletions and a fumble recovery. Hodge kept clear confidence and motivation in mind to ensure his success.
“It’s about staying the course, staying motivated, keeping my mind on that goal,” Hodge said. “It’s easy to get distracted and do other things and then not believe in yourself and give up. It really helped me out, being able to keep my mind clear and chase my goals.”
Hodge had an accomplished college career playing in a Big 12 Championship, playoff game and national championship and being named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 and TCU team captain. After four collegiate years, Hodge finally declared for the NFL Draft.
“I felt like I was ready,” Hodge said. “I’m getting older, I didn’t wanna have to come back to college another year. My proudest moment will be when I get drafted in April, that’s the big goal. It was always my dream to play in the NFL.”
Hodge, to ensure his selection in the draft, focuses on simply being at the peak of his own style of play, far and above others in terms of athletic ability and far and apart from others in terms of play.
“Personally, I like to play like me,” Hodge said. “I do look up to other backers, but I don’t try to copy them. I learn from them, but I want to be the best version of myself I can be. What’s gonna differentiate myself from others in college football is the testing I’ll do in March. March 30th, go out there, run a good 40, do some good drills, jump a good vertical, stuff like that.”
For Hodge, he carries his confidence and determination everywhere. On the field, off the field, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, no matter where he is, he has himself with him.
“Advice I give that I give everybody: believe in yourself no matter what,” Hodge said. “As long as you believe in yourself you can make it happen. It’s never too late, never give up. As long as you want to pursue something, you’ll do it.”
Despite the distance traveled already and all he’s overcome thus far, the road has not yet ended for Hodge. There are 16,000 draft-eligible players every year, of which only 259 are selected. Of those 259 selected, only about 29 are linebackers. Critics don’t expect much out of the Horned Frogs defensive sensation, some even expecting him to stay off the draft boards completely.
Hodge, despite this information, keeps cool. Understanding his journey and his ability, he has the utmost confidence in himself and wherever the path may take him. To those who expect the least of him, he asks just one thing.
“Just watch,” Hodge said. “I can show you better than I can tell you. I already know some people think I’m not a top linebacker but it’s cool, I can show people better than I can tell them. If you believe in me, go ahead. If not, it really doesn’t matter, I know what I can do.”
Hodge has had a number of titles over the years. R.J. Reynolds Demon, Independence Pirate, TCU Horned Frog, Big 12 Honorable Mention, TCU team Captain. Underneath the accolades and awards, schools and transfers, one thing is definite – Hodge will remain Hodge. The electric gameplay and headstrong confidence have come this far, and now they head for Detroit. The future is uncertain, but Hodge is. As to the draft results, the 2024 NFL Draft takes place April 25th to 28th. As for the future of Hodge, all anyone can do remains the same – just watch.