WATERLOO, Ont. - One of the most influential people in recent Golden Hawks football history is a man you've probably never heard of. His name is Brandon Hodge. 

You probably do know his twin brother, Dawson. The kicker/punter from Coquitlam, B.C. has spent his first two seasons as a Golden Hawk collecting hardware; he's a two-time academic All-Canadian, the football team's 2021 rookie of the year, and an OUA all-star and second-team All-Canadian in 2022. 

He's been an instrumental part of Laurier's success the last two seasons. Last year he placed fourth among OUA kickers in total points (68), while leading the conference in total punting yards (2,772) and average punting yards (44.0). 

If it weren't for his brother, however, not only might we never have seen Hodge in a Golden Hawks jersey, he likely never would have donned a football jersey at all. 

"He got me into it because we needed a kicker," recounts Dawson. Brandon, an offensive lineman on the Terry Fox Secondary School's varsity team, recruited Dawson, whose main sport was soccer. 
This was in their senior year. 

"I tried out for the team, ended up making it and then was the starting kicker for that season and loved it. And I was like, "I don't want it to end here. I don't want it to be my last season, my only season." So I decided to basically take a charge to the next level." 
 

In only one season of high school football, Hodge impressed enough to garner attention from universities across the country, including Laurier. 

"That was definitely a big decision," said Hodge on picking a school over 3,000 kilometres from home. "When I came on the recruiting visit, they were super good to me. They brought in some alumni, and it was just a great visit. I felt a good vibe there and, football-wise, they were a great team." 

"Coach Faulds gave me an opportunity, and now here we are." 

A member of the 2020 recruiting class that includes much of the team's current offensive core, Hodge's first year at Laurier was spent at home. 

"I didn't know what to expect because it was just a year of online meetings and seeing people through a screen. Once we got to camp [in 2021], it was like, holy, these are my teammates, it's time to go. It was definitely an interesting experience." 

"There were high expectations," said Hodge about his first season, "Obviously, Nathan Mesher, who was kicking before me was a really good kicker. [I had] a lot of anxiety coming in and I was pretty nervous, but that's all part of it, right? Especially the position that I play, the mental game is just so huge." 

If any of that anxiety lingered by the first kickoff, it didn't show. Hodge missed only one field goal attempt his entire rookie season in 2021. 

"I was thinking after my first year that I just got super lucky every time because there's just no way," joked Hodge. "It's all about keeping your head down, trusting your mechanics, not letting the mental side get to your head, and just doing what you've been trained to do." 

Mesher's own predecessor, two-time Grey Cup champion Ronnie Pfeffer, has been helping Hodge with that aspect of his game over the summer. 
"I've been training with Ronnie, which has been super beneficial for me because when it comes to kicking, there's so much more than just the mechanics... He's also able to help me with that mental side since he's been in the same position as me. He knows what it's like to take high-pressure kicks." 

"I think for him it's all about confidence going into the season," said manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds. "He's got some goals and aspirations, but he's also a team-first guy." 

Faulds explained that despite Hodge's impressive stats, the box score doesn't even tell the full story of his impact. 

"The stats can sometimes get in the way of the team goals. For instance, he could blast a 60-yard punt every time, but there are times when we're at mid-field and they have a great returner and we're going to tell him to only kick it 35 yards, and we need it to land out of bounds. That comes off of his stats, even though he's intentionally doing that." 

"It's a team sport," said Hodge, "For me, that's the focus this year. It's not about stats, it's about how to put my team in the best position to win on special teams." 

He does that in more ways than just kicking and punting. Take last year's meeting with Guelph, for example. After making an extra point to put the Golden Hawks up by ten early in the fourth quarter, Hodge forced a fumble off his own kickoff with a hard hit on the Guelph returner, which was then recovered by Laurier. He'd end the ensuing drive with a field goal to put the game out of reach. 

"I would say that it was probably the highlight of my career because, obviously, kickers don't get to do that very often," he said. "Whenever I'm in the gym, I'm trying to be more than just a kicker. I'm trying to be an athlete... I want to be able to make plays, whether it's making tackles or running fakes, that's something that I really enjoy." 

Now heading into his third season, Hodge says he has "high aspirations." 
"Year three is a big year," he said. "I think, as a team, we have a really good chance of making a good playoff run and hopefully coming out with the championship this year." 

The Golden Hawks quest for a Vanier Cup starts at the very stadium where the trophy will be handed out at the end of November; Richardson Stadium in Kingston, Ont. Laurier faces Queen's in the season opener on August 26 at 3 p.m.