Virginia offers New Jersey forward Hodge, son of ODU great

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia has offered the son of a former ODU star for the recruiting class of 2024.

Matthew Hodge, whose father, Odell Hodge, was a two-time CAA Player of the Year for the Monarchs from 1992-97, is the latest player to receive an offer from Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers. UVA associate head coach Jason Williford played against Odell Hodge, and reached out to Matthew last week for a long chat.

Matthew Hodge is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound power forward from St. Rose School in Belmar, N.J. He plays on the same EYBL team, the PSA Cardinals, as Christian Bliss (see related story here). The 3-star player is rated No. 129 nationally overall, the No. 27 power forward and the No. 5 overall recruit in New Jersey by 247Sports composite rankings, an average of all the national recruiting services.

Hodge has been offered by UVA, Alabama, Virginia Tech, ODU, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State and Seton Hall. He has an official visit to Penn State and is planning on setting up visits to Virginia Tech and ODU. Coach Jeff Jones believes Hodge can be a major force for the Monarchs.

Hodge averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots for St. Rose last season. On the EYBL Circuit, he is averaging 8.2 points and shooting 38 percent from the 3-point line, showing some inside-outside versatility.

blessed to have received an offer from the University of Virginia! pic.twitter.com/SIWMG1jUMt

— Matthew Hodge (@Matthew03333530) June 29, 2023

His dad, Odell, is the third-leading scorer (2,117), rebounder (1,086) and shot-blocker (286) in ODU history.

Matthew Hodge said he plans to play in the upcoming Peach Jam and then will evaluate the schools that have shown the most interest and narrow his list to six programs heading into the fall.