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Devlin Hodges was just named the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, meaning he’ll be taking over the spot for incumbent Mason Rudolph — who has been a bigger distraction off the field than he has produced on it since he grabbed the starting nod. While Hodges has played a few games this season, nobody really knows much about the former Samford signal-caller, who was an undrafted free agent in this year’s NFL Draft.
While there isn’t much game film on Devlin Hodges, one thing opponents do know is that his teammates call him “Duck.” But where did Hodges get such a nickname? As it turns out, it has everything to do with a hobby (and skill) of his, as the rookie quarterback is a master at duck calling.
ESPN dug a little bit deeper to get to the bottom of Devlin Hodges’ “Duck” nickname, and found out that his coach at Samford, Chris Hatcher, first started calling him “Duck” after his skill at duck calling was discovered. Expanding on that, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin just began calling him “Duck Dynasty,” so here’s how ESPN reported on it.
“Once (his father) Zane introduced his oldest son to the duck call, he hardly ever put it down. He was a natural and started competing in call tournaments and championships in the Southeast, frequently traveling to Arkansas to hunt and compete. … While Hodges let competition duck calling take a backseat to football in college, he proved he still had it last year when he won the Alabama state duck calling championship.”
Duck calling might not be something that most starting NFL quarterbacks partake in, but for Devlin Hodges, it helped him earn a nickname that he’s fully embracing. From showing up to a game in a vintage Mighty Ducks jersey, to owning the nickname on Twitter, Steelers fans are just hoping the guy is better at throwing footballs than calling ducks — and that he doesn’t throw wounded ducks out there on the gridiron.