December 6, 2012 at 1:52 PM

Gerald Hodges was named the New Jersey Division I Collegiate Player of the Year on Thursday.

The Paulsboro, N.J. product was a integral part of the Nittany Lions' 19th ranked scoring defense nationally. The senior linebacker led Penn State with 109 tackles and also had two interceptions, one sack, while forcing and recovering one fumble.

Hodges will receive the honor — which is handed out by the Brooks-Irvine Memorial Football Club of South Jersey — at an awards banquet on Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 237-pound linebacker was also named a second-team All-Big Ten selection last week and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation's top linebacker. Hodges' tackle mark ranked him fifth in the Big Ten, and 2012 was the second straight season in which he's posted triple-digit tackle numbers as he posted 106 stops last season.

Hodges was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his 11-tackle performance against Northwestern in the sixth week of the season.