Linebacker Johnny Hodges earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2022, leading the Horned Frogs in tackling en route to the CFP Championship game
57 | LB Johnny Hodges
From the brink of no FBS offers out of the transfer portal to the National Championship game, linebacker Johnny Hodges was a perfect match with the new Sonny Dykes era for the Horned Frogs. After a pair of average seasons at the Naval Academy after being an unranked no-star prospect in the class of 2019, Hodges hit the transfer portal ahead of the 2022 season, where he famously found little interest before TCU defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie and Dykes, both of whom coached against Hodges while he was at Navy, were made aware of his portal presence. The Frogs offered and would make history with Hodges as the new LB would go on to lead TCU in tackles for the Horned Frogs’ undefeated regular season and College Football Playoff, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and 2nd Team All-Big 12 honors with 87 total tackles (9.5 for loss) and two sacks
As with everything for TCU Football in 2023, Hodges had a less fruitful second season in Fort Worth, playing just four games due to injury, preserving redshirt eligibility. He is back for the Frogs in 2024, looking to return to the high level production in the new DC Andy Avalos defense.