Tag: Kyron Hudson

Former USC receiver Kyron Hudson lands at Penn State in transfer portal

Kyron Hudson transfers to a Big Ten competitor. Can the Nittany Lions harness his potential? It didn’t quite come together for him at USC in 2024.

USC football transfer portal news has been dominated by departures more than arrivals as of today, December 17. The latest piece of transfer portal news involved a relocation for a former Trojan who has found a landing spot in the Big Ten. Kyron Hudson, the talented but inconsistent USC receiver, is heading to Happy Valley to play for Penn State.

Nittany Lions Wire has more on the story:

Wide receiver is something that continues to be a topic brought up for Penn State not just by the fan base, but also by national pundits who routinely point out the lack of production from that position.

Because of that, this transfer cycle was seen as a huge opportunity for James Franklin and his staff to add a difference maker who can play a huge part in how the Nittany Lions perform going forward.

Hudson made some highlight-reel catches this season. He can be great. However, he also dropped some passes he should have caught. This is a high-potential piece for Penn State, but the Nittany Lions need to develop that potential in order for this transfer to work out.

Penn State lands transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson from USC

Penn State added a wide receiver from another Big Ten program out of the transfer portal.

Wide receiver is something that continues to be a topic brought up for Penn State not just by the fan base, but also by national pundits who routinely point out the lack of production from that position.

Because of that, this transfer cycle was seen as a huge opportunity for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff to add a difference maker who can play a huge part in how the Nittany Lions perform going forward.

They are set to host Florida International transfer Eric Rivers this week. He would give them a productive player on the outside who is adept at getting open, something Penn State’s current group has a hard time consistently doing.

But before he is set to arrive in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions already struck in the portal by earning a commitment from USC transfer [autotag]Kyron Hudson[/autotag].

The 6-foot-1 pass catcher was a four-star recruit coming out of high school when he committed to the Trojans. Ranked as the 126th-best player and 22nd overall wide receiver in the 2021 class by the 247Sports Composite, he had a productive showing during his career in Los Angeles.

Hudson has totaled 807 yards and eight touchdowns on 72 catches with USC, but it was this past year where he really broke through with 38 receptions for 462 yards and three touchdowns.

Any addition to the wide receiver room is going to be a notable one, but for Penn State to add someone who has been productive at a power conference level is huge.

There are still major questions about how that position group is going to look next year with [autotag]Harrison Wallace[/autotag] and [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] likely returning for another season along with the injured [autotag]Kaden Saunders[/autotag], but one or even all three could decide to leave as well.

Even if all three are back, adding Hudson to the mix is huge as the Nittany Lions need more production on the perimeter going forward.

Transfer portal exits accumulate, dealing blow to USC’s depth

A prominent receiver and pass rusher are entering the transfer portal. Lincoln Riley will have to hit the portal to fill some of these roster losses.

With the offseason on the horizon, one of many questions starting to arise for USC football was the Trojans’ wide receiver depth heading into 2025. This past week, those questions became an even bigger issue when redshirt junior wideout Kyron Hudson announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Although he never got a ton of accolades or hype, Hudson has quietly been a solid contributor for the Trojans the past two seasons. He had the best year of his career to date in 2024 catching 38 passes for 462 yards and three touchdowns. Perhaps Hudson’s most memorable moment in Cardinal and Gold was his incredible one-handed catch against LSU earlier this season.

Now, Hudson will look elsewhere for his final season of eligibility. And with it, questions arise about USC’s wide receiver depth.

Barring a surprise transfer, the Trojans are currently slated to return their quartet of rising juniors in Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, Makai Lemon, and Duce Robinson. However, with Hudson transferring and Kyle Ford out of eligibility, USC will bring back just one other wide receiver who has caught more than one pass this year: rising senior Jay Fair, who finished the regular season with eight catches for 78 yards and one touchdown.

As we have seen over the past few years, the Lincoln Riley’s offenses are most successful when the quarterback spreads the ball around to different wideouts. The Trojans had seven wide receivers with double digit receptions in 2022, and eight in 2023. Hence, it will be critical that Riley add more depth at the position in the transfer portal this offseason.

USC’s offensive outlook is murky. It’s the same for the defense after pass rusher Sam Greene declared his intent to enter the transfer portal.

Lincoln Riley has talked about building his program through recruiting, but more departures mean Riley must make more portal additions than he had probably hoped.

USC’s Kyron Hudson makes remarkable catch against LSU

USC wideout Kyron Hudson made a stunning catch against LSU

USC already has a candidate for Catch of the Year.

Kyron Hudson is a junior for the Trojans out of Mater Dei High School.

In the second quarter on Sunday against LSU, Miller Moss looked for his wideout.

Hudson went up and grabbed the football with one hand, maintaining possession while hitting the turf at Allegiant Stadium.

The play led to a two-yard touchdown run by Woody Marks and USC had a 7-0 lead over its SEC foe.

Is Kyle Ford transferring back to USC from UCLA?

Kyle Ford visited USC’s spring practice on Thursday. Everyone was — and is — talking about it.

Last year Kyle Ford shocked USC football fans when he transferred.  It wasn’t the fact that he wanted to get an opportunity to get more playing time, but where he wanted to do it. Kyle Ford stopped by USC’s fifth practice of spring camp on Thursday, which obviously gained a lot of attention. Is something about to happen?

Ford, if he does transfer back to USC in a few weeks (the spring portal window opens on April 16), would be the third Bruin this offseason to join (or in Ford’s case, rejoin) the Trojan roster. Both safety Kamari Ramsay and cornerback John Humphrey followed D’Anton Lynn from UCLA to USC.

Ford signed with the Trojans in 2019 after suffering a knee injury and missing the final five games of his senior season at Orange Lutheran. He played in just four games late in the year before suffering a second season-ending knee injury during the summer of 2020. He had limited receptions in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but saved his best for last. Late in the 2022 USC-UCLA game, Ford caught a fade pass from Caleb Williams for the game-winning touchdown.

There seemed to be no ill will with USC, and it is notable that Ford shared a moment with Lincoln Riley during this Trojan practice on Thursday. If the interest is mutual, USC could use another veteran receiver on the team with just six returning scholarship wide receivers and true freshman Xavier Jordan available in 2024. Of that group, only redshirt junior Kyron Hudson and the redshirt senior transfer from Tufts, Jaden Richardson, are upperclassmen.

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