FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — As he often did, KhaDarel Hodge walked across the tarmac to board a chartered Delta flight, bags in hand, hat low and sunglasses on, as the Atlanta Falcons prepared to travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers in mid-October. Hodge blended in with his teammates — until he didn't.
It was the jacket.
In collaboration with HBCU Pride NFL earlier that month, Hodge had been gifted a custom letterman jacket adorned with HBCU patches and leather details — a piece made, perhaps literally as much as figuratively, just for him. As Hodge made his way onto the plane, the jacket sparked Google searches and Reddit threads, drawing attention well beyond the runway.
Since entering the league, Hodge has been one of the NFL's most vocal advocates for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And it's impossible to tell his story without highlighting the impact of HBCUs — one in particular.
Hodge's college career began at Alcorn State before a stop at Hinds Community College. Eventually, he found his footing — and his home — at Prairie View A&M.
By the end of his time with the Panthers, Hodge had compiled 1,797 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, earning first-team All-SWAC honors and Black College All-American recognition.
Those years at Prairie View A&M, Hodge says, were formative — shaping him into the player and man he is today: a Pro Bowl special teamer and wide receiver for the Falcons.
"This is where I grew up," Hodge said during a recent return to campus to celebrate Black History Month. "I became a man here at PV."
Hodge went undrafted in 2018 — a reality he says he expected. Since 2010, only 36 HBCU players have been selected in the NFL Draft.
"I know that HBCU athletes are slept on," Hodge said. "You just gotta take that to heart and you have to look at it like I'm just as good as those guys, no matter how much work I gotta put in, I'm going to keep proving to you and whoever else said I can't do it, to show that I can do it and I am good enough."
He has done exactly that.
Hodge spent time with the Rams, Browns and Lions before landing in Atlanta in 2022, where he has carved out a role as both a reliable depth receiver and one of the league's standout special teams contributors.
His journey is proof that talent — regardless of exposure or resources — can flourish when given an opportunity.
"We're D1 just like y'all are D1," Hodge said of HBCU players like himself. "(Other programs) probably have a little more resources than we have right now, but we are just as good as you are. We are prideful about what we do."
Times, however, are slowly changing.
More HBCUs are receiving increased funding and resources, aided by organizations like HBCU Elite, which Hodge partnered with during My Cause My Cleats week in December. Opportunities for HBCU athletes are also becoming more visible. In 2022, the NFL launched an annual HBCU Combine to provide additional exposure for draft-eligible players.
Still, there is work to be done.
According to the league, HBCU players represent only a small portion of the overall football population, yet nearly 10% of the Pro Football Hall of Fame attended HBCUs — 35 of its 371 members.
Some of the game's greatest legends trace their roots back to HBCU campuses.
Jerry Rice, the NFL's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, starred at Mississippi Valley State.
Michael Strahan, the former single-season sack record holder before Myles Garrett broke the mark in 2025, attended Texas Southern.
Bob Hayes — the only athlete to win both a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal — went to Florida A&M. And the league's most prestigious honor, the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, is named after a Jackson State alum.
HBCUs are essential threads in the fabric of the NFL's history — institutions that have shaped generations of players. Prairie View A&M did that for Hodge. It's why he wears his HBCU pride so visibly.
"I came here lost," Hodge said. "I didn't really know what I was going to as far as my football career or academically so this is where I grew up, where I found who I was. I disciplined myself. So, when I come back here it's always smiles, good times. I get chills every time I walk on the field."
