Advertisement
football Edit

Jamoi Hodge commitment: What does it mean for Nebraska?

Nebraska dipped into the JUCO market again on Tuesday with a big commitment from Jamoi Hodge.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound inside linebacker out of Independence (Kan.) C.C, announced his commitment to the Big Red via social media. Hodge picked NU over offers such as Arizona, SMU, Southern Miss and several others. Hodge became the 15th known verbal commit at the time of his announcement for Nebraska's 2020 recruiting class.

Here are some quick takes on what the commitment of Hodge means for the Huskers.

Independence C.C. inside linebacker target Jamoi Hodge committed to Nebraska on Tuesday night.
Independence C.C. inside linebacker target Jamoi Hodge committed to Nebraska on Tuesday night. (Nate Clouse)
Advertisement

1. Both inside and outside linebacker positions were a huge need for Nebraska's 2020 class. The Huskers honed in on Hodge as an inside linebacker about a month ago and made him a major priority. Nebraska coaches Ryan Held and inside linebacker coach Barrett Ruud played a huge role in helping to secure Hodge's commitment. The Huskers may have room for one more inside linebacker in this class.

2. Hodge has the physical tools that Nebraska was looking for from an inside linebacker. He has good size and length at 6-foot-2 and he's weighing around 220-pounds right now. Nebraska loses Mo Barry to graduation at the end of this season then will lose both Collin Miller and Will Honas at the end of next season. Beyond those three, they really don't have any proven bodies at the position.

3. One of the things that made Hodge such an important JUCO target was the fact that he was a full academic qualifier out of high school and will be able to sign in December and be on campus in January for winter conditioning and spring practice. He, like fellow JUCO commit Junior Aho, will be a 4-for-3 transfer as far as his eligibility goes.


4. Hodge runs extremely well. The Huskers needed at add athleticism to their inside linebacker corps and Hodge definitely brings that to the table. He has the ability to run with receivers and running backs out of the backfield which is something that has hurt NU this season.

5. Hodge brings the athleticism of an outside linebacker to the inside linebacker position. He has a nose for the football and is a very physical player. When he hits the ball carrier they are typically stopped dead in their tracks.

6. I like the fact that Hodge is good at playing against the run as well as the pass. In the Big Ten, the Huskers see a variety of offenses where one week they could be playing an uptempo spread and the next a downhill power attack. Hodge should be able to come in and play at a high level against any offense NU happens to be facing.

7. Best of all is that Hodge has plenty of growth potential left. He has a frame that can easily get bigger without losing speed or mobility. His coaches say his best football is still ahead of him.

***Freshman season stats: (7 games) 32 tackles, two TFL, one sack.

8. 2020 Nebraska commit breakdown

1. 7/26/2018 - Logan Smothers - QB - 6-foot-1, 180 - Athens, Ala. - 4 Stars

2. 4/3/2019 - Zavier Betts - WR - 6-foot-3, 190 - Bellevue, Neb. - 4 Stars

3. 4/13/2019 - Turner Corcoran - OT - 6-foot-6, 270 - Lawrence, Kan. - 4 Stars

4. 6/23/2019 - Tamon Lynum - CB - 6-foot-2, 177 - Orlando, Fla. - 3 Stars

5. 6/24/2019 - Alex Conn - OL - 6-foot-6, 275 - Derby, Kan. - 3 Stars

6. 6/29/2019 - Nash Hutmacher - DL - 6-foot-5, 305 - Chamberlain, S.D. - 3 Stars

7. 7/2/2019 - Blaise Gunnerson - OLB - 6-foot-5, 250 - Carroll, IA - 3 Stars

8. 7/8/2019 - Will Nixon - WR - 5-foot-11, 185 - Waco, TX - 3 Stars

9. 8/21/2019 - Sevion Morrison - RB - 6-foot, 190 - Tulsa, OK - 3 Stars

10. 8/24/2019 - Marvin Scott III - RB - 5-foot-9, 195 - Port Orange, FL - 3 Stars

11. 9/19/2019 - Henry Gray - CB - 6-foot-1, 185 - Miami, FL - 4 Stars

12. 10/8/2019 - Ronald Delancy - CB - 5-foot-11, 165 - Miami, FL - 3 Stars

13. 10/12/2019 - Marquis Black - DL - 6-foot-4, 280 - McDonough, GA - 3 Stars

14. 11/26/2019 - Junior Aho - OLB - 6-foot-3, 245 - Roswell, NM (France) - 2 Stars

15. 11/26/2019 - Jamoi Hodge - ILB - 6-foot-2, 220 - Independence, KS (N. Carolina) - 3 Stars

9. 2020 commits by position

1 - Quarterback

2 - Running back

2 - Wide receiver

0 - Tight end

2 - Offensive linemen

2 - Defensive tackle

0 - Defensive end

2 - Outside linebacker

1 - Inside linebacker

3- Defensive back

0 - Athlete

0 - Special teams

10. Where are they from?

Florida - 4

Alabama - 2

Kansas - 2

France - 1

Georgia - 1

Iowa - 1

Nebraska - 1

North Carolina - 1

Oklahoma - 1

South Dakota - 1

Texas - 1

Advertisement