Elijah Hodge

Biography

Elijah Hodge is in his first season as Rutgers' linebackers coach in 2026. Working with Scarlet Knight defensive coordinator Travis Johansen at South Dakota from 2022-24, which featured two trips to the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals, he played in the Big Ten at Wisconsin and brings administrative leadership experience to New Jersey. Hodge, who was born in the Virgin Islands and attended Dillard High School in South Florida, coached two players who reached the NFL. Following the 2024 season, linebacker Brock Mogensen signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys, while Stephen Hillis earned a rookie minicamp invite with the Buffalo Bills. SOUTH DAKOTA • The 2024 campaign featured a South Dakota defense that sat top 10 in scoring defense (seventh, 17.6) and top 20 in rushing defense (17th, 116.1). The Coyotes put together one of the best seasons in school history with an 11-3 (7-1 MVFC) record with a share of the MVFC title and a trip to the FCS Playoffs semifinals, both program firsts. Linebacker Gary Bryant III posted a team-high 103 tackles. • After recording 113 stops during the 2023 season, Mogensen earned MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-America by multiple outlets and was a finalist for the Buck Buchannan Award, an honor presented to the best defensive player at the FCS level. The team ranked No. 4 in the final FCS rankings (STATS Perform and AFCA), picking up the first 10-win season in the DI FCS era and first since 1986 as a program, the most

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