Ben Hodges, who is now in his 10th year on the Colonel coaching staff, is taking on a new role this fall as the special teams and outside linebackers coach. He had served the previous four years as the tight ends coach.
“I think Ben has a very bright future in the business,” head coach Dean Hood said. “He studies the game and wants to be a good football coach.”
Eastern Kentucky will be searching for a new placekicker this fall as All-OVC player Andrew Lloyd graduated last December. The Colonels do have Keith Wrzuszczak returning for a second year to handle the punting duties.
While coaching the tight ends, Hodges worked with former Colonel Matt Lengel, who went on to sign a free agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in April.
Hodges helped two Colonels earn all-conference accolades as the wide receivers coach from 2008-10, including Orlandus Harris who posted the most receiving yards (940) by an EKU player in five years in 2010.
In his first two years on staff as an offensive assistant, Hodges worked with the tight ends and also served as the team video coordinator.
Hodges came to the Colonels from Central College in Iowa where he served as a student assistant for four seasons. While at Central, he helped the Dutch capture two Iowa Conference championships. In 2005, Central went 9-1 in the regular season to advance to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Hodges spent much of his time at Central breaking down opponent film and putting together scouting reports. He was the scout team coordinator while assisting with the linebackers for three years and the offensive line for a season.
A 2006 summa cum laude graduate of Central College, Hodges earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics. He completed his master’s degree in sports administration from EKU in December 2007.
Hodges married the former Courtnee Simmons of Louisville in the summer of 2012. The couple has a one-year old girl, Madeline.
Coaching Experience
Central College (Student Assistant Coach, 2002-05)
Eastern Kentucky (Graduate Assistant Coach, 2006-07), (Wide Receivers Coach, 2008-10), (Tight Ends Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, 2011-14), (Special Teams/Outside Linebackers Coach, 2015-present)
