Former 2024 5-star recruit Micah Hudson transfers back to Texas Tech after leaving for Texas A&M in December
Former five-star recruit Micah Hudson is heading back to Texas Tech after transferring away from the school after the 2024 season.
Hudson was a top-10 recruit in the class of 2024 and widely expected to make an immediate impact with the Red Raiders. That didn't happen. Thanks to injuries, he played in eight games and had eight catches for 123 yards without a TD. Ten players had more catches than Hudson did in 2024.
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Hudson entered the transfer portal after the season and transferred to Texas A&M. He spent just months with the Aggies, however. In March, Hudson was in the transfer portal again.
He's now heading back to Lubbock.
The Temple, Texas, native was the No. 9 recruit in the class of 2024 and the No. 4 wide receiver. He was the top recruit in the state of Texas and his commitment was seen as a coup for Joey McGuire's staff.
Texas Tech has been one of the most active teams in the transfer portal this offseason as they have benefitted heavily from a greater NIL investment ahead of the potential House settlement in 2026. The Red Raiders have the No. 3 transfer class in the country according to Rivals and have landed four top-100 transfers. Rivals' top-ranked Tech transfer is Purdue cornerback Tarrion Grant, and the team has also added two top offensive lineman through the portal.
The Red Raiders finished 8-5 in 2024 after losing the Liberty Bowl to Arkansas. With the Big 12 wide open in 2025, Tech figures to be one of the favorites after going 6-3 in conference play last season.
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USC's Lincoln Riley feeling ‘refreshed' as pressure mounts to win in Year 4
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'It's like you've got the house built, and it's kind of all about the finishes now. You're not trying to put up a wall or anything like that.' Whether USC is actually that close to being a finished product is up for debate. The Trojans' win total has declined in each of Riley's first three seasons, during which his record is worse than that of his predecessor, Clay Helton. Now the Trojans enter his fourth with a raw, unproven commodity at quarterback, a threadbare linebacker room, and an inexperienced offensive line that could already be down a projected starter. There's also the matter of their fourth-quarter issues last season, which saw the Trojans inexplicably cough up leads in five of their six losses. But Riley looks at it differently. 'It's the first time where we had an opportunity at the end of the game to win every single game that we played,' he said. 'The really good teams separate in a lot of their games, and they win the close games they end up in. That's typically how it happens, and that's what we've got to become. And so the way to do it, every part of your program has to be pretty strong. 'We've graduated from being way behind in this area, and being pretty decent in this area to, like, every right now is either good or pretty darn good. Now it's just about taking those small steps in all those areas to, I guess, hypothetically push you over the hump.' The biggest leap in that regard could once again be on defense, where USC went from one of the worst units in the nation in 2023 (121st in scoring defense) to respectable (56th) under defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. That was no small feat, considering where they came from. And the Trojans have added considerable talent to its defense since. The front seven should benefit greatly from the return of linebacker Eric Gentry and defensive end Anthony Lucas from injury. And on the interior, USC brought in two massive transfers on the interior, as well as a five-star freshman. 'I think the depth, the talent level, and the size of the defensive line, I mean, there's honestly really no comparison to this time 12 months ago,' Riley said. But the Trojans' path will inevitably, at some point, come down to their quarterback. Riley reiterated his confidence in Jayden Maiava as the Trojans' starter, even as he once again heaped praise on five-star freshman Husan Longstreet. Left tackle Elijah Paige said Thursday that he has seen a major change in Maiava since he entered the offseason as the presumptive starter. 'He's taken a complete 180,' Paige said of USC's quarterback. '[In the spring,] he commanded the offense, and that's what this team needs.' Of course, everyone is feeling optimistic this time of year, with more than a month still remaining before USC kicks off against Missouri State. But Riley isn't the only one who feels those finishing touches underway. 'We've gone and gotten some of the very best people in the business,' Riley said. 'They're not going to attach themselves to something where they don't see the progress. 'And you do not get a recruiting class like this unless there's a crazy amount of momentum within the program. Like, I don't care what else you have. If you don't have momentum, you do not get a class like we have.'
