KhaDarel Hodge, a wide receiver and special teams player for the Atlanta Falcons, continues to draw attention to his roots at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). During a team trip in October, Hodge wore a custom letterman jacket with HBCU patches, sparking conversations online.
Since joining the NFL, Hodge has been an advocate for HBCUs. He began his college career at Alcorn State before moving to Hinds Community College and then Prairie View A&M. At Prairie View A&M, he recorded 1,797 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, earning first-team All-SWAC honors and recognition as a Black College All-American.
“This is where I grew up,” Hodge said during a recent visit to Prairie View A&M for Black History Month. “I became a man here at PV.”
Hodge went undrafted in 2018. He noted that since 2010 only 36 players from HBCUs have been selected in the NFL Draft.
“I know that HBCU athletes are slept on,” Hodge said. “You just gotta take that to heart and you have to look at it like I’m just as good as those guys, no matter how much work I gotta put in, I’m going to keep proving to you and whoever else said I can’t do it, to show that I can do it and I am good enough.”
After stints with several teams including the Rams, Browns, and Lions, he joined Atlanta in 2022. In Atlanta—a team based in Georgia that competes in the NFC South division of the National Football League according to its official website—he established himself as both a reliable depth receiver and standout on special teams.
“We’re D1 just like y’all are D1,” Hodge said about players from HBCUs. “(Other programs) probably have a little more resources than we have right now, but we are just as good as you are. We are prideful about what we do.”
Opportunities for athletes from these schools have grown recently with initiatives such as increased funding for some programs and new events like the annual NFL HBCU Combine launched in 2022.
Still, challenges remain: while few players come from these institutions today, nearly 10% of Pro Football Hall of Fame members attended an HBCU—35 out of 371 members.
Several notable NFL figures began their careers at these colleges: Jerry Rice attended Mississippi Valley State; Michael Strahan went to Texas Southern; Bob Hayes played at Florida A&M; Walter Payton was an alum of Jackson State.
“I came here lost,” Hodge said about his time at Prairie View A&M. “I didn’t really know what I was going to as far as my football career or academically so this is where I grew up, where I found who I was. I disciplined myself. So when I come back here it’s always smiles, good times. I get chills every time I walk on the field.”
