USD-Magazine-Summer-2023

[security] Former running back Jonah Hodges ’16 (BA) knows that timing is everything YOU CAN TURN BACK TIME

by Kelsey Grey ’15 (BA) ormer running back Jonah Hodges ’16 (BA) knows that timing is everything. The success of running backs depends on their ability to wait for a play to develop and to look for lanes to sprint through. This is also a metaphor for Jonah Hodges’ life. His first lesson in waiting came as a child growing up in F

contact sport —and a bit of patience — Hodges convinced his parents to let him play Pop Warner football in middle school. From that moment on, he made it his life’s goal to play in the National Football League. Hodges was initially recruited by the University of San Diego during his senior year of high school, but as a cornerback.

Santa Cruz, California. Hodges wanted to play Pop Warner football, but his parents weren’t exactly on board. “I remember begging my dad and mom,” Hodges laughs. “They didn’t want me to do it because of safety concerns, so I played all the other sports.” That included flag football. After a few seasons of the non-

He wanted to continue his career as a running back and committed to the University of California, Berkeley. After two years with the Golden Bears, Hodges considered transferring. “I wasn’t getting much playing time, so I looked at transferring and USD popped up again,” he says. “It was a different coach and they were looking for a

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