MADISON, Wis. — The first thing Elijah Hodge did upon meeting Wisconsin teammate Jonathan Casillas was apologize.
“It’s kind of funny, because me and Elijah were on our [recruiting] visit together when we were seniors in high school,” said Casillas, a junior weakside linebacker. “He called me out a little bit, because we were being recruited at the same position.
“I think he said something like, ‘I feel bad for coming here,’ and I was like, ‘Why? I don’t understand?’, and he was like, ‘Because you’re going to be playing behind me for four years.’ ”
As it turns out, Hodge would take a redshirt year in 2005 and not have the chance to take Casillas’ position as a freshman one year later, backing up Mark Zalewski instead.
This season, however, Hodge is at middle linebacker, succeeding next to Casillas and strongside linebacker DeAndre Levy, a junior and second-year starter.
Hodge, a redshirt sophomore, has emerged as a playmaker on one of the most talented linebacking corps UW has ever seen. He has made several big plays in the first two games, including a fourth-and-1 stop of UNLV quarterback Travis Dixon deep in Badgers territory in the second quarter of last Saturday’s 20-13 win.
He leads the No. 7 Badgers with 17 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss, which ties him for the team high.
“Right now, I’m just trying to take it day by day to get better,” Hodge said. “There are different types of leaders. There are vocal leaders and leaders that just go out there and do it every day. I’m a little bit of both.”
Hodge was recruited out of Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., by coach Bret Bielema, then Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator. As an assistant coach at Iowa, Bielema had recruited Hodge’s older brother Abdul. After a four-year career as a linebacker with the Hawkeyes, Abdul was drafted in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.
“Obviously he’s a great linebacker and a great leader,” Elijah Hodge said of his brother. “He’s a great guy to look up to, a mentor to me. He’s always calling me, giving me tips on how to be a better linebacker, how to be a better student in school and how to be a better person all around.”
Hodge fought through several “nagging” injuries in fall camp and recently practiced a full week for the first time since camp began, Bielema said. Despite the injuries, Hodge has managed to improve his pass coverage skills, according to Badgers defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz.
“He does a good job of reading the quarterback, breaking on the ball and relying on that ability,” Hankwitz said. “He’s gotten better at consistency, execution, being in the right spot. … He was doing that in the spring, and he got held back a little this fall. But now he’s starting to progress again.”
“He’s probably one of the most instinctive players on the defense,” Casillas said. “He can read plays, he can dissect plays, his film study is great. He just has a great work ethic.”
Hodge enjoys his friendships with Casillas and other 2005 recruits.
“When we’re not playing football, you can always see us together,” Hodge said. “It’s a friendship and a brotherhood, and that’s why it carries onto the field. You always see us joking around, but we also take care of business together.”