Hodges Named Co-Ivy Defensive Player of the Year

In the four years Zack Hodges donned the No. 99 jersey, the Harvard football team lost just four games. The senior defensive end has ended his collegiate career on a similarly high note, earning a Co-Ivy Defensive Player of the Year honor due to his high level of performance throughout the Crimson’s undefeated 2014 season.

This year marks the second straight season Hodges captured the Bushnell Cup, awarded to the Ancient Eight’s most dominant player on either side of the ball.

The senior’s consistent play also earned him multiple awards outside of this Ivy honor, which was conferred in a ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, N.Y. Hodges has accepted an offer to compete in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game. In addition, he was selected for multiple preseason lists and All-America teams, including the FCS North All-American First Team.

At Harvard, Hodges holds the school record for career sacks with 27.0, having broken the previous mark in the Crimson’s 24-7 win over Cornell this fall. The senior led the Ivy League for the second straight season with 8.5 sacks.

In his junior year, Hodges ranked fifth in the nation with four forced fumbles and was twice named Ivy League Player of the Week.

In his freshman year, Hodges appeared in nine games, missing one due to a shoulder injury. By the time he was a sophomore, Hodges inhabited a starting role, and his play at defensive end earned him a spot on the All-Ivy First Team.

According to CBSSports.com, Hodges is ranked eighth among outside linebackers—good for 95th overall—in the 2015 NFL draft. The senior defensive end is clearly nowhere near the end of his story.