Mainland DL Christian Hudson flips commitment from UCF to Colorado

Colorado beat UCF convincingly on the field less than a month ago and snatched away its prized defensive tackle commit Friday afternoon.

Mainland senior Christian Hudson , who committed to the Knights in July from a final four including Iowa, Iowa State and Maryland, flipped his commitment in favor of Deion Sanders ' Buffaloes . Colorado offered Hudson in September and invited him for an official visit to see the Oct. 12 game against Kansas State.

"It was my first time getting up (to Boulder). … They are building something great right now, and I want to be a part of it," Hudson said in a phone interview. "It's definitely one of my dreams to get to the NFL, and I feel like their coaches can get me to reach the best of my abilities."

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In addition to Sanders, Hudson looks forward to working with Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Warren Sapp (Colorado's senior defensive quality control analyst) and defensive line coach Damione Lewis, a 10-year NFL veteran and former first-round pick out of Miami.

"At first, I was a little skeptical about getting outside the state," Hudson said. "But the type of atmosphere and the feeling I had in Colorado was nothing like anything I’d experienced."

Hudson (6-foot-1, 290 pounds) has recorded 48 tackles (34 solo), 24 tackles for loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one pass breakup and one defensive touchdown during his senior season for Mainland. He started on both sides of the line of scrimmage in 2023 as the Buccaneers won their second FHSAA state championship in program history, defeating St. Augustine at the buzzer in the Class 3S final.

A consensus three-star recruit, Hudson is the No. 50 defensive line prospect in the nation according to 247Sports' composite scores. He becomes Colorado's ninth high school commit for the 2025 cycle and the first along the defensive line.

UCF, meanwhile, drops to 33rd in 247Sports' team recruiting rankings. The Knights still hold commitments from four blue-chippers: wide receiver Jayvan Boggs (Cocoa), offensive tackle Chastan Brown (Warner Robins, Georgia), running back Taevion Swint (Kissimmee) and cornerback Tony Williams (Miami).

The Knights (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) are in the middle of a four-game losing streak but will host No. 12 BYU (7-0, 4-0) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mainland DL Christian Hudson flips commitment from UCF to Colorado