New Rutgers defensive coordinator, Travis Johansen, has made another addition to his staff, this time bringing over Elijah Hodge from South Dakota to be the team’s Assistant Linebackers Coach. Hodge was
the inside linebackers coach at South Dakota from 2022-2024, serving under Johansen during his tenure as the team’s defensive coordinator. The program announced Hodge’s hire via their social media accounts.
During his three seasons at South Dakota, Hodge produced three 100+ tackle linebackers, Stephen Hillis (115) & Brock Mogensen (106) in 2022, Brock Mogensen (113) in 2023, and Gary Bryant III (103) in 2024.
His work with the Coyotes was Hodge’s first time being a college coach, as he coached in middle school and high school before that.
Hodge’s playing career saw him start out as a four-star who committed to Wisconsin. Hodge played in 35 games in four seasons with the Badgers before he transferred to Northern Iowa for his graduate season.
