TCU veteran linebacker Johnny Hodges optimistic about the Horned Frogs’ new defense

A new defense represents a new opportunity for all the defenders on the Horned Frogs roster including veteran linebacker Johnny Hodges.

Hodges was an All-Big 12 linebacker two seasons ago when TCU stunned the nation and made the national championship game. His impact was limited last season as he only played in four games and also missed a big chunk of spring camp as well.

Now healthy and refreshed with a new hairstyle, Hodges has flourished in fall camp and looks to be the ideal linebacker in TCU’s new defense under Andy Avalos. The new style has also helped with the energy of the locker room with more players buying into a system they’ve seen produce a ton of plays in camp.

“I like where our team is at,” Hodges said Sunday after practice No. 10. “Not a whole lot of complaining going on compared to last year. People are just head down working and there’s lots of competition. I definitely like the trajectory of our team and we’re getting a lot better. I’m excited for the future.”

The better vibes in the locker room also have to do with the leadership of players like Hodges. They know individual agendas hindered the success of last year’s team and many are actively going out of their way to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Leadership can be shown in different ways, it doesn’t always have to be speeches or yelling, sometimes it simply be just bringing a new hairstyle to camp. Hodges dyed his hair a bright blonde, similar to the new look Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had at the start of training camp.

When asked about the switch up, Hodges smiled and said it was for the team.

“I always like to do something for the season, it gets the boys excited,” Hodges said. “I had a mohawk last year and buzzed my head the year before. I wanted to change it up a little bit, I know Joe Burrow did it and I was about to dye it purple, but it looked just really (bad). It’s fun, I like doing it.”

Hodges also likes making plays in this defense like he did during the Horned Frogs’ scrimmage on Friday at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The former Navy transfer delivered a number of hard tackles and has been TCU’s top linebacker against the run in camp.

Hodges has always been a quality run stopper, but Avalos’ system has helped Hodges expand his game with a new system that has more options available at he and his teammates’ disposal.

“Our coach is doing a really good job of keeping us on our toes with the calls,” Hodges said. “He tells us what to expect during practice and I think I’m feeling good and I really like how our defense is feeling. There are little mistakes here and there, but it happens at practice. I like where we’re at.”

The mistakes have been few and far between, at least during the open media portion of practice. Sunday played out like many other practices with the defense not giving up much to the offense in team drills.

Fellow linebackers Namdi Obiazor and Kaleb Elarms-Orr were two of the standouts on Sunday and when you combine them with Hodges, it’s hard to not think TCU has one of the best linebacker groups in the Big 12.

Hodges says the talent in the room forces each one of them to never take a rep off.

“I think it helps the whole defense, they just see how we work,” Hodges said. “It just pushes you, you’ve got to make plays. You’ve got to bring it everyday, we’ve got a bunch of dudes that can play, that can absolutely fly. So if you want to be on the field, you have to be ready to go.

“If you want to be the biggest, baddest wolf you’ve got to bring it everyday. The competition’s been awesome.”

You could also use the word awesome to describe the performance of the unit as a whole. As TCU enters the final week of training camp, the defense is aiming to finish strong before turning the full focus to Stanford.