Darius Hodge (born July 3, 1998) is an American 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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

who is a free agent. 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

Marshall Thundering Herd The Marshall Thundering Herd is the intercollegiate athletic collection of teams that collectively represent the Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Thundering Herd athletic teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, which are memb ...

Early life

Hodge attended

Wake Forest High School Wake Forest High School is a four-year high school (9–12) located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Demographics In 2016–2017 there were just over 2,000 students attending Wake Forest High School. 59.4% of the student body was White, 2 ...

, where he was teammates with

Dexter Lawrence Dexter Lawrence II (born November 12, 1997), nicknamed "Sexy Dexy", is an American professional American football, football nose tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tig ...

College career

Hodge played for the

for four seasons and redshirted his true freshman year. He finished his collegiate career with 117 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, and 15.5 sacks. Following the end of his redshirt junior season, Hodge announced that he would forgo his redshirt senior season to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Hodge signed with 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 ...

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 ...

on May 14, 2021. He made the Bengals' 53-man roster out of training camp. He played in four games before being waived on November 4, 2021.

Miami Dolphins

On November 5, 2021, Hodge was claimed off waivers by the

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

. He was suspended two games on December 18 for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. On August 29, 2022, Hodge was waived/injured and placed on injured reserve. He was released on September 9.

Philadelphia Stars

On January 28, 2023, Hodge signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He was placed on the

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

list on April 3, and moved to the inactive roster on May 16. The Stars folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

Calgary Stampeders

Hodge signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

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 ...

(CFL) on February 13, 2024. He was released on June 2, 2024.

References

External links

Marshall Thundering Herd bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Darius 1998 births Living people American football linebackers Cincinnati Bengals players Marshall Thundering Herd football players Miami Dolphins players People from Wake Forest, North Carolina Philadelphia Stars (2022) players Players of American football from North Carolina Canadian football defensive linemen Calgary Stampeders players Players of Canadian football from North Carolina