Gerald Hodges
No. 50, 51, 54 | |||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Woodbury, New Jersey, U.S. | January 17, 1991||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
Weight: | 236 lb (107 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Paulsboro (Paulsboro, New Jersey) | ||||
College: | Penn State (2009–2012) | ||||
NFL draft: | 2013 / Round: 4 / Pick: 120 | ||||
Career history | |||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Gerald Davon Hodges Jr. (born January 17, 1991) is a former
Early years
A native of
During high school, Hodges was also a captain of both the wrestling and track and field teams. As a
Despite having played safety and quarterback in high school, Hodges was rated as the No. 4 overall
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gerald Hodges OLB
|
Paulsboro, New Jersey | Paulsboro High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.46 | Dec 12, 2008 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
While attending Pennsylvania State University, Hodges played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team from 2009 to 2012.
Hodges saw limited action on defense his true freshman year, but was a significant contributor on special teams, playing in all 13 games and delivering three tackles. He started the year as a safety, but moved to linebacker partway through the year.[6]
In 2010, Hodges was injured on the first play of the game against Alabama. He missed the next four games before coming back with a vengeance against Minnesota and Michigan, games in which he recorded two and three tackles respectively. He ended the year recording at least four tackles in each of the team's final three games.[6]
Hodges enjoyed a breakout season in 2011 in which he led the team by recording 106 tackles.[7] He also recorded 10 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception which he returned 63 yards against Northwestern.[6] In wake of the NCAA sanctions that stemmed from the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, Hodges had the opportunity to transfer, but he ultimately chose to remain loyal to Penn State. Hodges attributed his loyalty to Penn State to his Christian faith. He said, "Every day I wake up and thank God because we could have just been forgotten about. God puts people in my life that are going to help me no matter the situation. He's put coaches in my life that are going to help me out and further my career. Everything, it seems, is working out for the better. I know it might not seem like that ... but when you look deeper and deeper into bowl games and championships, (God) did this for a reason."[2]
Coming into the 2012 season, Hodges was named a preseason first-team All-American by Lindy's College Football Preview as well as first-team All Big Ten.[8] New coach Bill O'Brien briefly toyed with the idea of using Hodges as a kick returner during the team's first game against the Ohio Bobcats, but stopped after Hodges muffed a punt.[9] In the third game of the year against Navy, Hodges recorded an interception to go along with five tackles.[10] Hodges enjoyed his best game of the season on October 6 against Northwestern when he recorded 11 tackles and a forced fumble.[11] Hodges had another excellent game on November 17 against Indiana in which he recorded 12 tackles and a diving interception.[12][13] It was announced after Penn State's last game that Hodges had been named second-team All-Big Ten.
Professional career
Prior to the draft,
At the
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle |
Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
243 lb (110 kg) |
32 in (0.81 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.78 s | 1.67 s | 2.78 s | 4.29 s | 7.27 s | 35 in (0.89 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
22 reps | |
All values from |
Minnesota Vikings
Hodges was selected by the
San Francisco 49ers
On October 6, 2015, the Vikings traded Hodges to the
In 2016, Hodges played in 15 games with 12 starts, recording career-highs of 83 tackles, 3 sacks, and two interceptions.
Buffalo Bills
On May 25, 2017, Hodges signed with the Buffalo Bills.[19] He was released on September 3, 2017.[20]
New Orleans Saints
On October 11, 2017, Hodges signed with the New Orleans Saints.[21] He was released by the Saints on February 27, 2018.[22]
Arizona Cardinals
On August 13, 2018, Hodges signed with the Arizona Cardinals.[23] He played in 16 games with six starts, finishing sixth on the team with 55 tackles.
Retirement
On April 6, 2019, Hodges announced his retirement from the
account that he wanted to play again.NFL career statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2013 | MIN | 11 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2014 | MIN | 14 | 7 | 66 | 51 | 15 | 0.5 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2015 | MIN | 4 | 3 | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SFO | 10 | 4 | 50 | 39 | 11 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
2016 | SFO | 15 | 12 | 83 | 55 | 28 | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 27 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | NOR | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | ARI | 16 | 6 | 55 | 44 | 11 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
81 | 32 | 282 | 210 | 72 | 3.5 | 11 | 3 | 54 | 1 | 27 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
References
- ^ "OLB Gerald Hodges' wrestling background helping Nittany Lions flatten offenses". Archived from the original on January 22, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
- ^ a b Miller, Randy. "Christian background plays role in former Paulsboro star Hodges staying at PSU". Courier-Post. Gannett. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ "Gerald Hodges Profile - Penn State Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ "Licensed to Central 2 & 4 Sectional Hy-Tek's Meet Manager 5/5/2007 03:26 PM". Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "Gerald Hodges". Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Gerald Hodges Profile". Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ "Gerald Hodges 2011 Player Statistics". Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ "Gerald Hodges named preseason All-American". Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ "Linebacker Hodges returns kicks for Penn State". September 2, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
- ^ "Gerald Hodges Stats, News, Videos, Pictures, Bio". Penn State Nittany Lions – ESPN. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- ^ "Northwestern Wildcats vs. Penn State Nittany Lions". Recap – October 06, 2012 – ESPN. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
- ^ Flounders, Bob (November 18, 2012). "Penn State-Indiana game balls: Lions wideout Allen Robinson, outside linebacker Gerald Hodges shine". PennLive.com. PennLive, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ Flounders, Bob (November 18, 2012). "A Huge Price To Pay: Penn State handles Indiana 45-22 but loses standout Michael Mauti to injury". PennLive.com. Penn Live, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ "Gerald Hodges Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "2013 NFL Draft Scout Gerald Hodges College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ Dustin Hockensmith (May 14, 2013). "Former Penn State linebacker Gerald Hodges signs four-year deal with Minnesota Vikings". www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball. Advance Digital. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
- ^ Gutierrez, Paul (October 6, 2015). "49ers acquire LB Gerald Hodges from Vikings". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ Brown, Chris. "Bills sign free agent LB Gerald Hodges". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ Brown, Chris (September 3, 2017). "Bills part ways with RB Williams, WR Brown, LB Hodges; awarded claims on three players". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018.
- ^ Katzenstein, Josh (October 11, 2017). "New Orleans Saints sign linebacker Gerald Hodges". NOLA.com.
- ^ Alper, Josh (February 27, 2018). "Saints claim John Theus, release Gerald Hodges". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
- ^ Urban, Darren (August 13, 2018). "Jeremy Cash Waived After Injury, Cardinals Sign Gerald Hodges". AZCardinals.com.
- ^ Alper, Josh (April 7, 2019). "Gerald Hodges announces retirement". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.