Abdul Hodge was born in the Virgin Islands before moving to the United States to play football. In high school, Hodge was captain of his football team for three years. He also played basketball and ran track. He was first team all-county and third team all-state as a junior. After his senior season he was named county defensive MVP. He finished his high school career with 308 tackles, 22 sacks, and 6 interceptions. Hodge accepted a scholarship offer to Iowa where he majored in communications. He is extremely proud to be the first member of his family to attend a major university. Hodge redshirted in 2001 and although he showed a great deal of promise, he served primarily as a backup and special teams player in 2002. He did receive the coaches appreciation award for his play on special teams that year. He moved into the starting middle linebacker spot as a sophomore where he was named first team all-big ten and led the Hawkeyes in tackles in 2003 and 2004. Abdul, who has been nicknamed “hitman”, has a young daughter and could’ve entered the 2005 NFL draft to support his family, but he decided to return to Iowa for his senior season to become a better player.

Abdul Hodge is an extremely hard hitter and an excellent run defender. He is an intelligent player who possesses excellent instincts. He has very good speed for a linebacker, which allows him to make plays sideline to sideline. He can drop back into coverage with the best of them and cover most tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield. He has been a very durable player who has yet to miss a game due to injury. Abdul lacks ideal size for an NFL middle linebacker. He may need to add some bulk and strength to be able to fight off blockers at the professional level. Shedding blocks has been a problem for Hodge at Iowa. He has a tendency to run around blocks and has been successful doing so with his excellent speed, however this is something that will need to be corrected if he is to play in the middle in the NFL. Hodge is well-known for his great work ethic. He leads by example and has served as team captain the past few seasons for the Hawkeyes. He is sure to be one of the top middle linebackers available and a potential first round pick in the 2006 NFL draft.