'26 Hodge Trophy Finalists; Fan Vote Now Open
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
It’s a year to year thing… but it’s natural to think that a better career should factor into it!
Hendrickson 100% earned it based on his season last year, that being said, career accomplishments are always considered even when they shouldn't be. If Mendez beat Vega, I would have been super apprehensive about Mitchell winning the Hodge because once again, they'll consider his career and Jesse is more of a fan favorite than Mitchell. It's ultimately a vote based award otherwise it can be solely formula driven. Several voters (not fan voters) publicly declared they voted for Carter.
Carter being unlikeable 100% swung the fan vote, which was the difference.
Carter being unlikeable 100% swung the fan vote, which was the difference.
The man does have a tattoo of the National Bohemian mascot on his arm.
Since it is an annual award, past success should have never been a criteria.
Results as of 5:00pm Thursday, 3/26/2026….
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Thanks for the update. Mitch had about a 13,800 lead last night at close of vote total window and is up about 15,200 now
People judge his win over steveson like it was the Olympic champion version from 2 years prior and not the 2025 version. Still very good, but not unbelievable and not in top shape. He was soft last year.
Voting is open until 5, and Mesenbrink has a roughly 16,000-vote lead on Forrest:
www.win-magazine.com
2026 Dan Hodge Trophy Results - WIN Magazine
Dan Hodge Trophy 2026 — Live Fan Vote Standings Dan Hodge Trophy Fan Vote 2026 · Presented by ASICS ✅ Your Vote Has Been Counted Thank you for participating in the 2026 Hodge Fan Vote 🔴 Live — Results Updating in Real Time 🏆 Live Fan Vote Standings Loading results… Results update throughout the...
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Its not quite the award it should be..
Fan votes? This is a popularity contest.
Even if Mendez would have won out I think Mitch still should have been the favorite for the hodge.. Barr not being 2nd right now is crazy..
They way team mates can steal votes from one another is crazy, you should be ranking them your top 5 maybe??
Fan votes? This is a popularity contest.
Even if Mendez would have won out I think Mitch still should have been the favorite for the hodge.. Barr not being 2nd right now is crazy..
They way team mates can steal votes from one another is crazy, you should be ranking them your top 5 maybe??
I agree the fan vote is has a heavy 'popularity contest' factor to it. Regardless of who the candidates are, it is tough to argue against Mitch he really was the most dominate wrestler. I don't believe Jax should even be in the conversation this year since he did not wrestle a full season. MHO it should be 1) Mesenbrink, 2) Barr, 3) Vega, 4) Haynes 5) Trumble. I think Vega had a pretty impressive season. But you could probably make a case for reordering 3,4 and 5 without much argument from me. But I do believe Mitch and Josh are one and two and I'd fight about it
Mendez should have never been ranked above Mitchell given the express criteria. He was not as dominant - full stop. And there was no appreciable difference between the difficulty of the weights. This was all the product of click bait and hype (and Penn State fatigue). But like I said, the committee got bailed out by his loss.
I believe Kerk beat Hendrickson twice. Kerk lost on one leg.
The fan vote doesn't determine the winner . I believe the winner of the fan vote gets 5 1st place votes. Media and former winners have votes.I agree the fan vote is has a heavy 'popularity contest' factor to it. Regardless of who the candidates are, it is tough to argue against Mitch he really was the most dominate wrestler. I don't believe Jax should even be in the conversation this year since he did not wrestle a full season. MHO it should be 1) Mesenbrink, 2) Barr, 3) Vega, 4) Haynes 5) Trumble. I think Vega had a pretty impressive season. But you could probably make a case for reordering 3,4 and 5 without much argument from me. But I do believe Mitch and Josh are one and two and I'd fight about it
Hey Corby! Does that mean Cael can vote for Mitch or Barr? And does he get 3 votes since he won the Hodge 3 times? Or is there a restriction on voting for members of your team? Thanks!
Most dominant, Mitch, Barr, Mendez(if mendez didn't get beat)
They also go strength of schedule... Mendez 1st, Mitch 2nd, Barr 3rd.
They all seem like good dudes, so crap shoot 1st 2nd 3rd.. Levi chucked a dude off a stage once, and Barr took a tag off a mattress once.
Other hodge winners votes...
Media vote and fan vote is where fatigue sets in. It should be weighed in
They also go strength of schedule... Mendez 1st, Mitch 2nd, Barr 3rd.
They all seem like good dudes, so crap shoot 1st 2nd 3rd.. Levi chucked a dude off a stage once, and Barr took a tag off a mattress once.
Other hodge winners votes...
Media vote and fan vote is where fatigue sets in. It should be weighed in
Cael gets 3 votes - can vote for whoever he wants and can spread his votes out
Someone else posted this earlier. Hendrickson had 30 votes last year, Carter 26. In fact, the fan vote did determine the winner last year.
You get a vote for every hodge you win. And he can vote for whoever he wants
Can it yes . But people were posting like they thought it was only fan voting. So I was just giving them the proper information.
Kerk beat Hendrickson that year twice during the season? Kerk lost to Stevenson twice on one leg? That is a lot of stories you are telling.
I can confirm that Cael can vote for whomever he wants because he called me last week to say he was voting for me. I told him, “Look, I get it, especially given what I did during the regular season of KYPSW, but just give my 3 votes to Mitch this time.”
100% truth. Could not have said it better.
Mitchell has this fan vote locked up. 68% percent to 12% for Jax (16000+ vote lead) and the vote should be over.
I believe I read that....as a 9 yr. old......Mitch reused a postage stamp at Christmas......so I think that pretty much eliminates him now. Sad
I believe 2020 they started the fan voting. It wouldn't shock me if it's been that way
Three have lost. And two were Penn State wrestlers.
In 2013 Ruth won the fan vote. Dake won the Hodge.
In 2016 Retherford won the fan vote. Dieringer won the Hodge.
In 2014 the rolls were switched. Stieber won the fan vote. Taylor won the Hodge.
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Damn time flies thought it was 5-6 years ago
Key 2026 Hodge Trophy Details:
- Announcement Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 12 p.m. CST. That's 1:00 EST
Yes, I got that year wrong. It was 2014 when Taylor won the Hodge but Stieber won the fan vote.
Stieber then beat Dieringer in 2015. Dieringer then beat Retherford in 2016. Retherford broke through in 2017.
Make it however you want Hendrickson didn't beat Kerk twice.I just corrected your "believe ".I could have said you are wrong but I didn't did I?