TCU LB Shad Banks receives start against SMU with Johnny Hodges sidelined with hand injury
TCU played without one of it’s top defenders in the Horned Frogs’ 34-17 win over the SMU Mustangs on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said Johnny Hodges is dealing with a thumb injury. Shad Banks received the start in place of Hodges, who is averaging 21 tackles per game.
“It’s going to be kind of a week to week thing for awhile,” Dykes said. “It happened last week in the Houston game, and we really didn’t know about it until the middle of the week or how serious it was.”
Hodges, a 2022 Second Team All-Big 12 member and the 2022 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, has been a key member of defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie’s defense.
In the first three games of the 2023 season, Hodges had three tackles for loss and two sacks. His replacement, Banks, has nine total tackles for loss and one sack. In week three against Houston, Hodges tallied four tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack.
Banks had five tackles in the win on Saturday. Dykes said Banks did a good job of stepping in during Hodges’ absence, did well carrying the load and that he’s excited to see how he develops in the future.
“Johnny (Hodges) is a hard guy to replace because he’s played so much football,” Dykes said.
Last season, Banks notched 39 total tackles and four tackles for loss, playing in all 15 games. The 6-foot-1, 250 pound Banks stepped up in the Big 12 Championship game against Kansas State, making a career high and team high 10 tackles.
“He’s got a chance to be a really good football player,” Dykes said. “He’s an explosive, athletic, tough, physical football player. ... Just got to continue to learn and mature and get reps.”
The 6-foot-2, 240 pound Hodges transferred from Navy after his sophomore season and recorded a team-high 87 tackles during the Frogs’ run to the College Football Playoff.
This story was originally published September 23, 2023 at 11:30 AM.
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