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OVERVIEW

Reggie Hodges
Position:  Punter
College:  Ball State
Height: 6-0
Weight: 226
Hometown: Champaign, Ill

Hodges is a strong-legged kicker with excellent directional ability. He took over punting chores in 2000 and went on to set a school career record with 254 attempts, topping the previous mark of 242 by Brad Maynard (1993-96). His 10,210 yards rank second in school annals to Maynard's 10,702 yards.

Hodges, who also holds for field goals and placements, was a three-time All-Big 12 Conference selection at Centennial High School. He added all-state first-team honors as a senior, when he averaged 39.4 yards per punt.

He gained 2321 yards on 64 punts (36.3 avg.) as a freshman at Ball State in 2000. Hodges had the fifth-best season average (41.3) in school history in 2001. He kicked 60 times for 2,431 yards and had 12 of his boots downed inside the 20-yard line. Hodges twice earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors in 2002. He punted 57 times for 2,299 yards (40.3 avg.) with 23 kicks downed inside the 20-yard line.

After sitting out the 2003 season to improve his academics, he returned with a vengeance in 2004, earning All-MAC first-team accolades. He led the conference with a 42.6-yard average on 73 punts for 3,109 yards, while 25 of his boots were downed inside the 20-yard line. Only 115 of his 254 punts were returned during his career. He had 61 attempts downed inside the 20-yard line, 32 other kicks that resulted in touchbacks and 47 more that were fair catches.

 ANALYSIS

Positives: Has an athletic physique with good muscle definition in his thighs and calves … Shows good hands to field and adjust to the bad snap … Has effective leg strength and shows good leg extension & lift, doing a good job of exploding into the ball … Displays solid accuracy and placement on his attempts to get his kicks downed inside the 20-yard line … Can kick into the wind, properly adjusting the direction and knows when to drive the ball low … Has a two-step approach that covers about four yards and appears natural with his get-off time (1.3 second average) … Gets the ball up quickly with good trajectory after making some technique refinement midway through the 2004 season (shortened his steps to two from three) … Shows very good leg control and the ability to place the ball and pooch punt … Has enough speed and athletic ability to support the coverage unit. 

AGILITY TESTS

4.9 in the 40-yard dash … 28 7/8-inch arm length … 8¾-inch hands.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Centennial (Champaign, Ill.) High School, playing football for coach Mike McDonnell … Three-time All-Big 12 Conference choice, adding all-state first-team honors as a senior … Averaged 39.4 yards per punt in his final year.

PERSONAL

Communications major … Son of Mack and Connie Hodges … Born Reggie A. Hodges … Resides in Champaign, Ill.

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