Rutgers Football has hired former South Dakota assistant coach Elijah Hodge to be the Scarlet Knights newest assistant linebackers coach, according to a post from the program on Twitter/X.

The former South Dakota inside linebackers coach spent three seasons in Vermillion, where he was a part of back to back record breaking seasons on defense.

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In his three seasons with the program, he helped produce 100+ tacklers three seasons in a row in Stephen Hills, Brock Morgensen (2022), Brock Mogensen (2023), and Gary Bryant (2024).

Hodge’s time at South Dakota was his first ever coaching gig at the college level, as he was previously at linebacker trainers for middle school, high school, and even some college prospects.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Hodge played his high school ball down at Dillard High School, where he was a Four-Star prospect per Rivals before committing to Wisconsin. He would go on to play in 35 games over four seasons with the Badgers, before finishing his career at Northern Iowa.

Elijah Hodge joined the Coyotes in the spring of 2022 as the inside linebackers coach under then head coach Bob Nielson. Hodge played his college ball at the University of Wisconsin, returning back to Camp Randall in the 2024 campaign when USD played the Badgers.

Hodge has been hugely successful with his inside linebackers since arriving in Vermillion ahead of the 2022 season, being on staff in back-to-back record-breaking seasons for the Yotes. In back-to-back-to-back seasons, Hodge has worked with 100+ tacklers at USD, all three seasons seasons the individuals leading the team: Stephen Hillis (115) & Brock Mogensen (106), Brock Mogensen (113, 2023), and Gary Bryant III (103, 2024). 

The 2024 season saw Hodge coach a pair of linebackers lead the team in tackles Bryant III (103) and Nate Ewell (78) as the Coyotes advanced to the program’s first-ever trip to the FCS Semifinals, following the 2023 campaign where the program made their then first trip to the Quarterfinals. 

His stop at South Dakota marks his first foray into collegiate coaching, but has a number of experiences under his belt. Most notably, he helped build the varsity team at Roxbury Prep Charter in the Boston, Massachusetts, area in 2018. He led the team to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and won the first playoff game in school history.

A number of administrative leadership experiences led him to the Boston area. He was the coordinator of retention and support for Phoenix Charter Academy in 2012, the dean of culture and climate at Muriel Snowden International School in 2013, and was dean of students at Roxbury Prep from 2017-20. Hodge earned his master’s degree in educational leadership from Boston College.

In early 2021, Hodge founded Linebacker Performance, which provides middle, high school, and college linebackers technical training and comprehensive linebacker education. He also worked within the Sarasota County School District.

Hodge played 35 games for Wisconsin, including 11 starts at linebacker as a sophomore when he finished third on the team with 67 tackles. He graduated with a degree in sociology and transferred to Northern Iowa for one final season. Hodge was the Panther’s fourth-leading tackler during the 2009 campaign.

Hodge and his wife, Zina, have a daughter, Emory.