Local RB standout Tee Hodge talks Tennessee's 'top tier' staff
When Tee Hodge made his way to Tennessee on Saturday, one of the first coaches to greet him was new offensive assistant Tee Martin.
The national championship quarterback immediately made a quip about having the same name as Hodge and the 4-star tailback from Maryville (Tenn.) felt right “at home.”
“We actually joked about that, really as soon as I met him,” Hodge told VolQuest.
“It was nice to get back over there and see what a Junior Day was like. They welcomed me, were very warm. It was a good visit all the way around.”
The 2020 in-state prospect hails from a championship high school program and the message to the collection of juniors in town this weekend is they — Hodge, Harrison Bailey, Tyler Baron, Reggie Grimes and others — could be the foundation of bringing that same success back to Rocky Top. Hodge visited Tennessee several times last year, but Saturday was a chance to meet Tee Martin, Jim Chaney and continue bond with the rest of the staff. He spent a lot of time with Martin and David Johnson, who told Hodge at the end of the visit he could be the running backs coach at Tennessee in the future.
“It was good to hear from (Martin) and his experience being at UT. Him winning a national championship here, that’s kind of what they emphasized with this new staff,” Hodge said.
“They know how to win championships. They know what it takes to be top-tier. … The visit was closing up, coach (Johnson) brought up that fact he wants to start a relationship with me and get closer because he thought he could end up being the running backs coach. He just wanted to make sure he was able to contact me, build a relationship and see what I was like both on and off the field. It was pretty cool for him to do that.”
Hodge rushed for 805 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2018 before breaking his leg in the playoff win over Farragut. He’s fully-recovered from the injury and has spent the last two months grinding in the weight room. Hodge hopes to play tailback in college, with schools looking at him as both a running back or linebacker. The Vols currently prefer him on offense, and Hodge said the staff was very impressed “with my new size.”
“It was the first time they’d seen me season my season ended and they noticed I’d gotten a lot bigger,” said Hodge, who is now 6-foot-2, 220 pounds.
“I’ve spent the offseason working out really hard. They liked my size a lot. That caught them off guard. I’ve picked up about 15 pounds since the season ended and I’ve gotten taller. I’m 6-2 now. They were really impressed.”
Hodge was “hoping” to have a college decision in mind before his senior season, but he’s scraped any hard timeline and will simply commit when he’s ready. He holds offers from Tennessee, Kentucky, where his cousin Randall Cobb starred, Purdue, Wake Forest, Virginia and others. Missouri, Louisville and Alabama, where he will visit next weekend, have all upped their interest of late, too.
“Right now, if I had a Top 3, I’m most impressed with Tennessee, Kentucky and Purdue,” Hodge said.
“Those are the three schools I’ve had the most contact with, built the best relationships with. But it’s still early. I still want to see what all these schools have to offer me.”