Wide receiver Kyron Hudson has committed to Penn State through the transfer portal. Hudson transferred from the USC Trojans, where he had 38 catches for 462 yards and three touchdowns this season. Kyron Hudson was a four-star recruit out of high school in Mater Dei, California. He has shown a clear talent at the receiver position for the Trojans. Hudson is a junior looking to finish his collegiate career at Penn State and find new opportunities with the Nittany Lions offense, moving from a 6-6 USC team to a playoff contender.
Kyron Hudson’s Season at USC
Kyron Hudson’s transfer is a blow to the USC Trojans. USC had an extremely disappointing season, finishing with a 6-6 record, barely qualifying for a bowl game. They struggled in Big 10 conference play, going 4-5 after starting the season ranked highly. Even with a talented roster full of four and five-star recruits, the Trojans lost many winnable games. This has led to many players transferring, including Kyron Hudson and quarterback Miller Moss.
The USC Trojans’ season got off to a good start. They defeated #13 ranked LSU 27-20 with a great performance from Kyron Hudson. Hudson caught five passes for 83 yards, which led the team. But Kyron Hudson never had more receiving yards in any game for the rest of the season. This victory in their opening game had the Trojans optimistic about their team, but their season went downhill from there. This led to the junior wide receiver and many others entering the transfer portal to play elsewhere.
But Kyron Hudson still had good performances, leading the USC Trojans in receiving in three games. There was the previously mentioned game against LSU, where Hudson had his best performance. Then, against Minnesota, Kyron Hudson caught five passes for 54 yards. Finally, against UCLA, Hudson had another great game with six catches for 79 yards. Those three games were the only games where Hudson had five or more receptions. He had three touchdowns this season against Penn State, Maryland, and Nebraska. Against his new team, Penn State, Hudson caught four passes for 36 yards and the touchdown. Facing Maryland, he had four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Kyron Hudson’s Fit at Penn State
Hudson will be joining a playoff team at Penn State. It is a promising commitment for the Nittany Lions, who just learned that their starting quarterback, Drew Allar will be returning. This season, Allar threw for 2,894 yards, 21 touchdowns, and seven interceptions with an 81.7 quarterback rating. Penn State went 11-2 this season, losing in the Big 10 Championship game but making the College Football Playoff as the 6th seed. When the two teams faced off in the regular season, Penn State defeated USC. This is a significant upgrade in team success for Hudson, but that does not mean it will be an increase in his role.
This season, Penn State’s offense was up and down. They had games where Drew Allar and Tyler Warren would light it up through the air, putting up points and getting into shootouts. Then, they’ve had other games that have been slow, grinding, Big 10 slugfests. A lot of it depends on the opponents and the kind of game plan that head coach James Franklin decides to run. Against Ohio State, Penn State’s offense was stifled, struggling to move the ball and score points. But in the Big 10 Championship against Oregon, with nothing to lose, Drew Allar was given the green light to air it out and the offense was successful despite the loss.
If the offense can throw the ball like Drew Allar has shown he can do, then Kyron Hudson would fit in well. He was the number three receiver for USC and has shown that he can produce. But, if the Penn State offense gets slow and stagnant, Hudson may not see as many opportunities. Still, the junior receiver has committed to the Nittany Lions, where he will play next season with Allar at quarterback.
