Watson ties lead Texas OL to make business decision & transfer to Pitt
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The first graduate transfer Pitt landed under Pat Narduzzi was Nate Peterman, the Tennessee quarterback who looked into the Panthers due to a prior relationship with a coach on Pitt’s staff.
On Tuesday, Narduzzi added his fifth graduate transfer, and once again, a prior relationship played into it.
“I knew Coach Shawn Watson,” former Texas offensive lineman Brandon Hodges told Panther-Lair.com Tuesday night after announcing his plans to transfer to Pitt. “I reached out to him because I was in a bind and I really wanted an opportunity to go somewhere and play ball.”
Hodges’ bind was that he needed a change from Texas - “It was just my time to move on,” he said - after spending 2017 spring camp with Tom Herman and the Longhorns’ first-year staff. He had enrolled at Texas in 2015 after spending two years at East Mississippi Community College; Charlie Strong was the head coach of the Longhorns at the time and Watson was his offensive coordinator.
Hodges redshirted that year, but he still developed a bond with Watson - a bond that came in handy earlier this summer when he decided to play his final year of eligibility somewhere other than Texas.
“I always went to him for advice at Texas,” Hodges said. “I would go talk to him for advice about things outside of football and he was always there for me.
“So I reached out to him this summer after I announced I was transferring and he was there for me again. He had open arms for me and he made it clear to me that he’s here for me and Coach (Pat) Narduzzi is here for me.”
Hodges tweeted on June 20 that he was transferring from Texas and visited Pitt on July 13. He also took a visit to Mississippi State a week later and said LSU expressed interest as well, but he saw enough on his first visit to know where he wanted to finish his college career.
“It was the players and the coaches and the great feel there, the great atmosphere,” Hodges said. “It felt good to be around people you can trust and rely on. There are great resources in Pittsburgh, too, and it has a home vibe.
“The food was good, the city was nice and everything was good with me. But really, I went into it looking at it like a business; I’m going to be there for six months on business, and that’s how I was looking at it.”
To that end, Hodges is entering his season at Pitt with an eye on the future. He’s got NFL size at 6’4” and 308 pounds and was good enough to start nine games at right tackle for Texas last season. The Panthers seem to have five set starters on the offensive line for 2017, but Hodges plans to work for an opportunity.
“The coaches said there’s a good chance of me playing here; it’s just on me to take it,” Hodges said. “I feel like as a player I can work inside or outside; last year I played tackle at Texas, but I played guard in the spring 2016. That was a good experience and I played left guard and right guard. Then our right tackle got a little heavier and I lost a little weight, so it just worked out that I moved to right tackle.”
Redshirt senior Jaryd Jones-Smith is the penciled-in starter at right tackle, but Hodges could push him for that spot. Hodges’ versatility, though, could lead to a few other opportunities. If redshirt junior Alex Bookser’s offseason legal issues lead to a suspension, for instance, Hodges could step in at right guard. Or if the coaches want to keep redshirt senior Alex Officer at center (where he started all of last season) rather than left guard (where he played this spring), Hodges could work at left guard.
And if nothing else, Hodges can provide experienced depth, filling a considerable void in that regard since Pitt’s reserve offensive linemen have a combined total of zero games played in their Pitt careers.
From Hodges’ perspective, the Panthers represent his final opportunity as a college player to make a case for himself as a professional.
“I’m going to come in as a student of the game, study and get better and work hard,” he said. “I want to help the team out and I feel like I can make an impact and help them win one or two more games.
“I never expected to be in this position. It’s wild. The whole experience has been wild. I’m really looking forward to it.”