KhaDarel Hodge and the Power of HBCU Football: Falcons Spotlight Receiver’s Journey During Black History Month
As the NFL celebrates Black History Month, the Atlanta Falcons are putting a well-deserved spotlight on wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge-a player whose journey to the league is rooted in the tradition, pride, and perseverance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Hodge’s story isn’t just about making it to the NFL. It’s about what it took to get there-and how his time at Prairie View A&M helped shape the man and the player he is today.
Before Hodge was catching passes on Sundays, he was fighting for a place to play. His college football path started at Alcorn State, moved through Hinds Community College, and eventually landed at Prairie View A&M-where everything clicked.
Over his college career, Hodge racked up 104 receptions, 1,797 yards, and 21 touchdowns. His senior year alone was a breakout campaign: 48 catches, 844 yards, and 12 touchdowns.
That kind of production earned him first-team All-SWAC honors and a spot on the Black College All-American team.
But for Hodge, Prairie View A&M was more than a launching pad for his football career-it was where he found himself.
“This is where I grew up,” Hodge said during a recent return to campus. “I became a man here at PV.”
That sense of growth and identity is a common thread among many HBCU athletes, who often face an uphill climb when it comes to national recognition. Since 2010, only 36 players from HBCUs have been selected in the NFL Draft. That stat alone speaks volumes about the challenges players face coming out of these programs-not due to lack of talent, but due to lack of exposure.
Hodge knows that reality well. He went undrafted in 2018, eventually signing with the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent.
It was a long road, but one he embraced. In 2022, he joined the Falcons, where he’s continued to prove he belongs.
“I know that HBCU athletes are slept on,” Hodge said. “You just gotta take that to heart. No matter how much work I gotta put in, I’m going to keep proving that I am good enough.”
And he’s not just talking the talk. Hodge has become an advocate for HBCU athletes, using his platform to highlight the talent and determination that often goes unnoticed. During the NFL’s "My Cause My Cleats" campaign in December, he partnered with HBCU Elite, an organization that works to increase exposure and resources for athletes from historically Black colleges.
Hodge is also a vocal supporter of the NFL’s HBCU Combine, which launched in 2022 to give draft-eligible HBCU players a chance to showcase their skills in front of scouts and executives. It’s part of a growing effort to level the playing field-and Hodge is all in.
“We’re D1 just like y’all are D1,” he said. “They probably have a little more resources than we have right now, but we are just as good. We’re prideful about what we do.”
That pride runs deep. When Hodge walks back onto the field at Prairie View A&M, it’s not just a trip down memory lane-it’s a return to where everything started.
“I came here lost,” he said. “I didn’t really know where I was going, football-wise or academically.
This is where I grew up, where I found who I was. I disciplined myself here.
So when I come back, it’s always smiles. I get chills every time I walk on the field.”
For Hodge, Black History Month isn’t just a moment on the calendar-it’s a chance to honor the legacy of HBCUs, spotlight the talent they continue to produce, and remind the football world that greatness doesn’t only come from the biggest programs. Sometimes, it comes from the places that build you from the ground up.