Wednesday morning surprise - Longhorns land top OL Patrick Hudson
Heading into this week, the Texas Longhorns had already put together an incredible 2016 recruiting class, bolstered by the recent additions of a few players who had previously signed with Baylor but were let out of their letters of intent.
On Wednesday morning, an already impressive UT class got considerably better with one more key addition.
Silsbee offensive lineman Patrick Hudson, another player who was recently released from his Baylor letter of intent, has committed to Texas, according to one of Hudson's family members. The 6-5, 330-pound Hudson had his paperwork faxed into the Texas football offices moments ago, making his decision to join the Texas program official.
Hudson becomes the fourth Baylor signee to commit to Texas in the last week, joining wide receiver Devin Duvernay, defensive back Donovan Duvernay and offensive lineman J.P. Urquidez.
A four-star prospect, Hudson was one of the nation's most sought-after prospects in the 2016 recruiting class. He was the nation's No. 3-ranked offensive guard prospect and No. 62-ranked prospect in the nation overall at the end of the recruiting cycle.
Hudson originally committed to Texas A&M back in March of 2014, only to decommit from the Aggies a few months later and flip to Baylor. Hudson continued to receive recruiting interest from a number of programs throughout his recruitment, including the Texas Longhorns, but Baylor narrowly held on to his commitment over Texas on National Signing Day and Hudson signed with the Bears in February.
Hudson was slated to enroll at Baylor in June, but decided against moving to Waco due to the sexual assault scandal that rocked the college football world and resulted in the firing of head coach Art Briles. In recent weeks, acting Baylor head coach Jim Grobe met with Hudson trying to convince Hudson to stick with his plan and enroll at Baylor, but Hudson decided to explore other options. He took an official visit to Oklahoma last weekend and on Monday told Orangebloods.com that he had narrowed his focus to four schools - Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and TCU.
An Under Armour All-American, Hudson was believed to be a Longhorn lean as soon as he was released from his letter of intent, and sources told Orangebloods.com all week that the Longhorns were the overwhelming favorite to land the talented offensive lineman. On Wednesday morning, Hudson's decision became official.
A player with a rare combination of size, strength and athleticism, Hudson should have a chance to step into the Longhorn program and compete for immediate playing time. Hudson will enroll for UT's second summer session in July and once practices begin in August, he'll have a chance to battle for a spot on the depth chart and possibly even challenge for a starting spot at left guard.
Hudson becomes the Longhorns' 28th commitment in the 2016 recruiting class and the sixth offensive lineman to sign with Texas. Per a source, a big part of the reason he chose the Longhorns was due to it being fairly close to home and Hudson having family and friends in Austin.