“They want me to give me the opportunity to stay home and earn a spot,” Hodge said on Wednesday. But the list of competition Tennessee, and any other school, faces for Hodge keeps growing. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Hodge, out of Maryville (Tenn.) High School, was offered by Ole Miss earlier this month, just a couple days removed from attending a Florida State junior day. Purdue is staying in constant contact and a Penn State offer came last month. He went to junior days at both Alabama and Tennessee in January and has taken unofficial visits to both schools.
He’ll be back at Alabama in June for a camp. “I got an official invite from Alabama to their camp in the mail, had a little flier with my name on the letter inviting me to their camp,” Hodge said. “I had been down there previously for a visit. They said they like my size, but Coach (Nick) Saban hasn’t seen me play. So they want to me to come to camp down there.” Along with Purdue, Hodge is hearing more and more from Florida State and Auburn recently, with a trip to Auburn possibly happening in June. He could be headed to Georgia Tech for a visit soon, too, after the Yellow Jackets offered in March.
From Tennessee’s staff, Hodge said he usually hears from running backs coach
David Johnson or quarterbacks coach
Chris Weinke. “I like what they have going on,” Hodge said of the Vols. “The new staff, the offense is running good. I’m excited to see what they do this year. I feel at home there, obviously, with it being down the street. Love the atmosphere.”
With Purdue, it’s been a different conversation than other schools. “Purdue wants to come in and be instant impact and play right away,” Hodge said. “They think I’m exactly what they need for their offense.” He can see himself in the Boilermakers offense, too. “It’s not too far, only about six and a half hours,” Hodge said. “Not too bad. I kind of like the cold weather. I like the love I’m getting from the coaches up there. “I talk to them all the time and they’re talking about me growing on the field and spiritually, stuff like that. They know that’s important to me.”
With most schools, the talk has centered around running back. With others, it’s either running back or linebacker. With Alabama next on his list, Hodge is just looking for an offer. “Alabama is nice,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll go down there and show out at the camp. I think they might offer me if I show out at the camp. (An offer from) Alabama would be big.”