More than 56,000 people filled Jones AT&T Stadium last September for the Texas Tech football team's most anticipated non-conference game to be held in Lubbock in longer than a decade.
Thirteenth-ranked Oregon journeyed into the Hub City with a Heisman hopeful at quarterback and realistic dreams of making the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, began their most anticipated season since Mike Leach roamed the sidelines with a thud. A double-overtime loss at Wyoming prompted head coach Joey McGuire to issue an early ultimatum.
"You're either in or you're not," he said between games.
Despite the stunning defeat in Laramie, the Ducks presented McGuire's team with the ultimate trump card. Handle Oregon at home and the follies of the previous week could be forgiven.
That, though, wasn't the case. After a tight contest throughout, Oregon left town with a 38-30 victory, sending a familiar refrain from many Red Raider faithful.
Perhaps the preseason hype was unwarranted. Maybe this is just what Texas Tech football is meant to be, close but not quite good enough.
But the Oregon game resonated with one other in the stadium in a different light.
Micah Hudson, a five-star recruit with no shortage of college options, felt the energy, excitement, joy and pain along with the team as if he were part of it. In a sense, he was. Hudson committed to McGuire and his staff a few months prior. He just hadn't announced it yet.
That loss, that game, was what made Hudson surer than ever he was in.
"I felt like we was really about to spank 'em and beat 'em," Hudson said of the Oregon game. "I just felt like I had to commit after that day, just uplift the city, really. Uplift the coaches and everything because I felt like I really lost the game too."
'Instant contributor' to Texas Tech football
Hudson's commitment and eventual signing in December brought much fanfare. That comes with the territory of being Texas Tech's highest-rated recruit of the 247Sports era, which spans about 20 years. He finished rated the country's 16th overall prospect and the fourth-best in Texas.
"He's one of those guys I'll be shocked if he's not an instant contributor," McGuire said on National Signing Day . "... I don't think you'll ever hear me say we're going to redshirt Micah Hudson."
Fans and coaches alike had to wait to get Hudson on the field, though. An early enrollee with the 2024 signing class, Hudson missed spring practice while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair an injury he suffered at Temple Lake Belton, where he amassed more than 5,000 yards and nearly 60 touchdowns between rushing and receiving in his four years.
Days before Texas Tech opened preseason camp, McGuire took to social media, as he's known to do, to say that Hudson would be a full go for the first practice.
Those first few practices showed both the intrigue surrounding Hudson and the learning curve the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver has to endure.
On the second day of camp, starting his route at the 25, Hudson began stretching for a throw at the 45. The ball started to sail through Hudson's hands before the freshman got his two pinkies on it. From there, he muscled the ball up into his hands, secured it with his chest, contorted his body and flipped for the 30-yard gain.
McGuire, just off to the side of the practice field, saw the whole thing.
"Good job, 1," McGuire said twice.
A clip of the catch quickly gained traction on X (formerly Twitter), generating more than 100,000 views. It even caught the attention of Patrick Mahomes, who recently signed Hudson as an inaugural member of the adidas NIL branch, Team Mahomes.
"That's crazy," the three-time Super Bowl champion said.
That Hudson made an incredible catch in practice wasn't shocking to McGuire. After all, the head coach was so smitten with the freshman that he made McGuire change up his policy , allowing Hudson to wear jersey No. 1 over more-veteran players.
"There's not anybody that argues Micah Hudson (getting No. 1)," McGuire told the Avalanche-Journal this offseason. "As much as I believe in him, his team ... if you ask Behren Morton, he would tell you, 'This dude is different.' Just the way he carries himself, everything."
'Strong willingness to learn'
The spectacular display of athleticism in the second practice wasn't necessarily the entire picture of Hudson's preseason camp. According to McGuire, Hudson struggled through the first few days of practice as he tried to play catchup from missing spring ball. For each great catch, there were drops and mistimed routes befitting a true freshman getting his feet under him.
"Micah has a very strong willingness to learn," Tech receivers coach Justin Johnson said. "He's constantly coming up, meeting. Behren will get after him if he needs to. I'll get after him if I need to, and he accepts it."
Morton said the ceiling for Hudson's ability is nonexistent. The quarterback acknowledged he'll get on him as he does with any receiver, and with Hudson, Morton wants to make sure they get the most out of each other during their time together.
Hudson also has no problem getting a tongue-lashing from Morton. He's embracing all aspects of the experience.
"I need to know this stuff," Hudson said, "so hearing him and seeing the passion that he is showing me, like 'Hey, man, we've got to know this,' things like that, that's really helping me because ... I like to hear the bad stuff, I like to hear the harsh stuff because I feel like that drives me and just knowing he actually cares about me, he's going to get on to me, just knowing that I've got people around me and good teammates."
Maturity factor
In previous years, freshmen at Texas Tech weren't usually made available to the media, especially before the season. Hudson was a special case, speaking to the press about a week into camp. Part of that is because, by everyone's admission, Hudson is going to be a big part of this year's team.
Some of it can also be attributed to the word McGuire has used to describe Hudson countless times since December. He's mature, able to handle the spotlight and attention, something he attributes to his upbringing and belief system.
"That's really what's on my mind, God and football," Hudson said. "That's what I say everyday, God and football. That's really just what's kept me in a good structure. And just learning from my mom and my pops and my family back home, just knowing how to carry myself and do everything the right way."
Being a highly-touted recruit has its distractions, which Hudson said he's learned to work around. He has two cell phones, one specifically for Instagram and brand endorsements — a signed mini-helmet or football can run around $100 from local retailers — and the other for all other communications.
On the main phone, Hudson gets regular personal messages from McGuire, the coach sending special messages, clips and quotes to continue motivating the budding star. Hudson said he appreciates that, but admitted he had no idea who Peter Warrick — the former Florida State all-American and Heisman candidate — was when McGuire sent a clip of the former Seminole.
McGuire and the rest of the Texas Tech coaches have envisioned ways to utilize Hudson much the same way Florida State used Warrick. Already a lock to get decent playing time at receiver starting with the season opener against Abilene Christian, Hudson could also be used as a punt or kick returner. Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley said during the spring the team was still mapping out just how to unleash Hudson when he finally takes the field.
Whatever the Red Raiders need out of Hudson, he's ready for it.
"Coach McGuire, I'll run through a wall for him," Hudson said, "so I'm just trying to do everything that I can to make myself a better player and just to ball out for him."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How Texas Tech football star freshman Micah Hudson is handling expectations with maturity
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