New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton announced the promotion of Michael Hodges from assistant linebackers coach to linebackers coach.

Hodges played linebacker at Texas A&M from 2008-11 and is an eight-year coaching veteran, having spent the last three seasons with the Saints, 2017-18 as a defensive assistant and 2019 as assistant linebackers coach. During this period, he helped Mike Nolan, who served as linebackers coach from 2017-19 and recently was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as defensive coordinator, with the position group. During the past three seasons, the Saints linebackers contributed to the continual improvement of the Saints defense, including finishing ranked in the top five in the NFL in opponent rushing yards per game for the past two seasons.

Prior to his stint in New Orleans, Hodges coached three seasons (2014-16) at Eastern Illinois, tutoring the team's linebackers his first two campaigns, while serving as co-defensive coordinator and coaching the team's safeties his final season in Charleston. The San Antonio, Texas native started his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Fresno State from 2012-13, where he coached the inside linebackers.