Vanderbilt Among Finalists for 4-Star SF Jayden Hodge

The Commodores look to be one step closer to earning a commitment from one of the top prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.

4-Star 2026 SF Jayden Hodge | Credit @da.nyyt on Instagra

Mark Byington and the Vanderbilt men's basketball staff received a bit of good news on the recruiting trail this week as one of the Commodores' top targets in the upcoming class announced his list of finalists, including Vanderbilt as one of his top options.

4-Star small forward Jayden Hodge from Montverde Academy in Florida named the Commodores among Old Dominion, Mississippi State, Virginia, Penn State, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Georgetown and Northwestern, according to Joe Tipton of Rivals.

NEWS: 4⭐️ Jayden Hodge has cut his list to eight schools, he tells @Rivals.

The 6-6 wing is a top-70 overall recruit in the 2026 class.

https://t.co/O2Lm3zG3My pic.twitter.com/q416RgtM1W

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 10, 2025

The 6-foot-6, 190 lb. prospect is ranked as the No. 24 small forward in the nation and the No. 11 player in the Sunshine State, per 247Sports' composite ranking. He previously suited up for St. Rose High School in Belmar, New Jersey before transferring to the aforementioned Montverde Academy ahead of his senior season.

Montverde Academy is well known for its ability to develop NBA talent at a high level. Just this year alone, four former players were taken in the first round of the NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg, Derek Queen, Liam McNeeley and Asa Newell.

Montverde Academy had FOUR players drafted in the first round 🤯 pic.twitter.com/YEWtlDpwem

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 26, 2025

Hodge was dominant in his junior season with St. Rose, averaging over 20 points per game, but will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to replicate his success against some of the nation's best.

Luckily for him, Hodge has also played a fair amount of international basketball, suiting up for the Belgian FIBA u18 team and competing in the Eurobasket Tournament the last four seasons. Across 27 games, he has averaged 14.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

On top of his international platy with the Belgian team, Hodge has also competed for the Sacramento Kings' Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Club Team in 2024, appearing in three games and averaging 7.3 points.

His father, Odell Hodge, is currently an assistant coach for Old Dominion on top of having played there from 1992-97. He is regarded as one of the top players in program history and even has his No. 33 jersey retired.

Though it may seem like a longshot for the Commodores' to land what looks to be a Dukes' legacy, Hodge's older brother, Matt, was also a high level recruit and is currently heading into his freshman season at Villanova.

As of now, Vanderbilt has yet to land a commitment in the upcoming class, but has lined up official visits with several notable prospects.

Vanderbilt Men's Basketball Official Visitors

• 4-Star PF Trey Thompson (June 25)
• 4-Star C Sam Funches (August 1)
• 4-Star SF Gage Mayfield (September 6)
• 4-Star SF Aziz Olajuwon (September 19)
• 4-Star PG Anthony Brown (September 19)
• 4-Star PF Jalyn Collingwood (October 17)