TJ Hodges

Physical Profile

Long-levered, lean-framed back at 6-0, 183 with the build of a converted sprinter rather than a downhill hammer. The height is atypical for the position and cuts both ways: it gives him natural stride length that shows up in the 15-yard-and-beyond portion of runs, but it raises his pad level and widens his tackle-strike surface between the tackles. Verified track marks — 10.73 / 22.28 — put him in the top tier of long speed for the 2026 running back class, and the 20-9.25 long jump indicates real explosive lower-body power rather than pure straight-line ability. He is currently 25-35 pounds under a functional SEC in-between-the-tackles playing weight; the frame looks like it will carry 205-210 without costing him top-end speed, but that is a two-to-three-year strength-program projection, not a redshirt-year fix.

Play Style

One-cut, get-vertical perimeter and second-level runner. He is at his best on stretch and outside-zone concepts where he can gain width, stack the edge defender, and turn a five-yard gain into a 60-yard one the moment he crosses the second level — the 8.3 yards per carry at 7A is a big-play average, not a grinding one. He shows more toughness through arm tackles than his listed weight suggests and will finish runs, but his tape is not built on moving piles or breaking through a stacked A-gap. He is a threat as a designed receiver out of the backfield and on the perimeter, and the sprinter's acceleration means he does not need a runway to reach top speed. The projected college identity is an explosive complementary weapon whose carry count needs to be managed and whose touches should be engineered into space.

Strengths

• Verified, not projected, breakaway speed — a 10.73 100m and 22.28 200m mean the angle-and-run-down conversation is over. 247Sports evaluator Gabe Brooks put it directly: he is 'not getting run down if he gets loose.' On a defense that misses one leverage assignment, every touch is a scoring threat.
• Proved the class-jump translation. He went from 1,896 yards (10.5 ypc) as a 1A sophomore and 1,752 (11.2 ypc) as a 1A junior to 900 yards on 108 carries (8.3 ypc) against Class 7A competition as a senior — the exact test small-school backs usually fail. He did it on a 12-0 state-title-game team, meaning the volume drop reflects a loaded roster and game scripts, not diminished effectiveness.
• Contact balance that outperforms the frame. Evaluations repeatedly note he breaks arm tackles at 183 pounds, which points to core strength and a good feel for running through a shoulder rather than absorbing a hit square. Combined with the long-jump explosion, this is what separates him from the pure track-speed backs who go down on first contact.
• Legitimate three-down receiving foundation — 8 catches for 142 yards and 3 TDs as a senior, 360 receiving yards as a sophomore. He is not a project as a pass-game weapon; the touchdown rate on limited targets suggests coaches were already scheming him into space.

Areas to Improve

• Mass and strength are the gating factor on his entire timeline. At 183 pounds he cannot survive an SEC interior workload, take on a blitzing linebacker in protection, or convert short yardage against loaded fronts. Everything about his year-one and year-two role is downstream of the weight room.
• Pass protection is the standard hurdle for a back with his build and usage history, and it is the single skill that decides whether he sees third downs as a freshman. At his current weight, anchoring against an SEC edge or nickel pressure is a real physical mismatch, and technique alone will not close it.
• Vision and patience against structured, gap-sound defenses. Against 1A fronts his speed let him outrun bad decisions; at 7A and now in the SEC the crease is smaller and later. Watch whether he presses the line and lets blocks develop or bounces early to chase the perimeter — that habit is the most common reason small-school speed backs stall in college.

College Projection

Redshirt or heavily-limited-role true freshman year, with the redshirt being the correct developmental outcome rather than a knock. The realistic 2026 usage is 20-40 touches as a change-of-pace and pass-game back plus special teams, with a strength-and-conditioning mandate to get from 183 to 200-plus. By 2027 he projects as a legitimate rotational RB2 with explosive-play responsibility, and as a year-three starter if the weight gain holds and pass protection catches up. Staying in-state on the flip was a fit decision as much as a recruiting win — he lands in an offense that will use him in space rather than asking him to be a 250-carry battering ram immediately.

NFL Outlook

Draftable ceiling, mid-to-late-round realistic range, and the outcome hinges almost entirely on whether he can add 20-25 pounds without losing the 10.7 speed. NFL teams draft this athletic profile — sub-4.45 with real long-jump explosion and receiving ability — but almost exclusively at 200-plus pounds, because sub-190 backs at 6-0 do not hold up over a 17-game season. If he tests at the combine the way his track times suggest and shows he can pass-protect, Day 3 with return-game value is a fair projection; if the weight never comes on, he profiles as a priority free agent gadget/returner. Two full college seasons of development are needed before a real draft grade is possible.

Best Fit

A wide-zone or outside-zone-based offense that uses a genuine two-back rotation and treats the running back as a receiving threat rather than a volume workhorse — spread, RPO-heavy, or a modern pro-style shell with backs split out. He needs a program with a top-tier strength staff that has a track record of adding mass to sprinter-framed skill players, and a play-caller willing to manufacture perimeter touches (jet, swing, screen, toss stretch) instead of feeding him 20 inside-zone carries. Arkansas is a reasonable landing spot on both counts, and the in-state familiarity plus 7A senior season means the transition should be smoother than for most small-school risers.