7/7/2023 football Edit

BeaversEdge Top 25 For 2023: No. 20 Isaac Hodgins

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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In the months leading up to the start of fall camp, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the Top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2023 roster.

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No. 20 Isaac Hodgins

Bio

No. 99

6-foot, 262-pounds

Rs-Senior

Berean Christian HS

Oakley, Calif.

2022 Stats: Played in 13 games (three starts) and totaled 18 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one fumble recovery, and two quarterback hurries.

2022 Recap

After missing the entirety of the 2021 campaign due to a broken foot suffered in fall camp, Hodgins fully returned to action in 2022 as he played in all 13 games and re-established himself as a valuable piece on the defensive line.

Hodgins' stats didn't jump off the page, but after being on the shelf for so long because of multiple surgeries, his primary focus was getting back into a rhythm.

"I think there was a lot of rust for me to knock off from not playing the year before and then having surgery all over again," Hodgins said of returning to the field in 2022. "

Per PFF, Hodgins was Oregon State's most effective defensive lineman last season, finishing with an overall defensive grade of 71.5. He also ranked second on defense with an overall tackling grade of 81.6...

2023 Outlook

Heading into the 2023 campaign, the Beavers returning Hodgins' experience on the defensive line is a big-time addition. He figures to be one of the Beavers' key rotation players up front, alongside James Rawls, Sione Lolohea, and Joe Golden.

He faced a decision as to whether or not to return for a sixth season in '23, but ultimately he wanted to return to Corvallis so he could have a full-time summer to prepare for the season.

"I wanted a full offseason to prepare for the season," Hodgins said in spring. "I didn't really have an offseason at this time last year because of surgery, so I wanted a full year to put my best foot forward."

The 2023 campaign could be shaping up to be Hodgins' best as arguably for the first time in his playing career, there's a ton of depth and talent surrounding him on the defensive line. Compared to when Hodgins played as a true freshman in 2018, the DL room couldn't look more different for the better...

Hodgins has the goal of getting to the NFL following his final campaign and knows he's going to have to deliver a big-time season to get his shot at the NFL...

"That's why I came back for another year, to chase that dream of playing football at the next level," Hodgins said. "What that looks like for me is production and there's got to be a whole ton of production and it has to be that my film speaks for me."