Devlin Patrick Hodges (born April 12, 1996), nicknamed "Duck", is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Samford Bulldogs, after playing at

Mortimer Jordan High School Mortimer Jordan High School (MJHS, MJ, MOJO, or Jordan) is a public high school located in Kimberly, Alabama. It is a part of the Jefferson County Board of Education. The school was named after Captain Mortimer Harvie Jordan, a war hero who lo ...

. He was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2019. He was also a member of the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

and

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

College career

Hodges was a four-year starter at

for Samford. He was named the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

Offensive Player of the Year three times, and he was the recipient of the 2018

Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...

during his senior year in which he set the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...

career record for passing completions (1,310) and attempts (1,896). Hodges’ marks broke the previous records that were set by former

Alcorn State Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. T ...

quarterback

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead

in 1994.

College statistics

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

2019 season

Hodges signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2019. He was waived on August 31, 2019. The Steelers re-signed Hodges to their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 10, 2019. He was promoted to the active roster on September 16, 2019, following an injury to starter

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. ( ; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Ste ...

. On October 6, 2019, he made his professional debut with the Steelers in a game against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

following an injury to Mason Rudolph. In his first regular season game, Hodges completed seven of nine passes for 68 yards, and ran the ball twice for 20 yards. He won his first NFL start in the October 13, 2019, game against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

. In the game, Hodges threw for 132 yards, one

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

, and one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

. On November 24, 2019, Hodges replaced Rudolph midway through the third quarter and threw for 118 yards which included a 79-yard touchdown pass en route to a 16–10 comeback victory over the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. On November 26, Steelers' head coach

Mike Tomlin Michael Pettaway Tomlin (born March 15, 1972) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the Steelers in 2007, he has led t ...

named Hodges the starting quarterback for the Steelers' next game against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. In the game, Hodges threw for 212 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 20–13 win. After another win over the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, Hodges struggled against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

on ''Sunday Night Football'' on December 15, 2019, throwing for 202 yards, 1 touchdown, and a career-high 4 interceptions as the Steelers lost, 17–10. In Week 16 against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, Hodges was benched early in the second quarter for Rudolph after throwing two interceptions. He was put back into the game in the fourth quarter after Rudolph suffered a shoulder injury. The Steelers lost, 16–10. In total, Hodges threw for 84 yards and two interceptions during the loss. Hodges appeared in eight games as a rookie and totaled 1,063 passing yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

2020 season

Hodges was waived by the Steelers on September 6, 2020, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 18, 2021.

Los Angeles Rams

On January 25, 2021, Hodges signed a reserve/future contract with the

. He was waived on August 23, 2021.

Ottawa Redblacks

On September 16, 2021, Hodges signed a three-year contract with the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

. On November 5, 2021, the Redblacks announced that Hodges would be the team's starting quarterback for their November 6 game against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

. Hodges struggled in his debut, completing only eight passes on 22 attempts for 90 passing yards as the Redblacks lost to the Argonauts 23–20. He finished the season having played in four games, completing 16 of 38 pass attempts with one interception. He also carried the ball nine times for 38 yards. On April 22, 2022, the Redblacks announced that Hodges had retired from professional football.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Hodges gained the nickname "Duck" at Samford for his prowess at duck calling. Hodges won the 2009 Junior World Duck Calling Contest at age 13 and won the 2018 Alabama State Duck Calling Championship. His brother, Duncan, played quarterback for the

VMI Keydets The VMI Keydets are the athletic teams that represent the Virginia Military Institute. All sports participate in the NCAA Division I, and all but three compete in the Southern Conference (the exceptions being men's and women's swimming and diving ...

. In May 2023, Hodges was confirmed to be in a relationship with country music artist

Lainey Wilson Lainey Denay Wilson (born May 19, 1992) is an American country music, country singer-songwriter. She performed at an early age, before going to Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville to pursue a career as a country performer. In 2014, she released her f ...

. Wilson later revealed in an interview with

The Bobby Bones Show ''The Bobby Bones Show'' is an American, nationally syndicated country music radio show aired during the morning hours. The Bobby Bones Show, which originally aired from Austin, Texas, now broadcasts from studios at WSIX-FM in Nashville. Premie ...

that she and Hodges had been dating for over two years prior to the public revelation. In February 2025, Hodges announced that he and Wilson were engaged.

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks bioSamford Bulldogs bioCFL bioDevlin Hodges Mossy Oak Properties
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Devlin 1996 births Living people American football quarterbacks Los Angeles Rams players Ottawa Redblacks players Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Jefferson County, Alabama Samford Bulldogs football players Walter Payton Award winners Canadian football quarterbacks Players of Canadian football from Alabama