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Hokies start off Spring Game Week with Bryan Hudson Commitment

The Hokies area already at it this week, with the Tuesday commitment of four star offensive lineman Bryan Hudson

By BlueLoneWolf
Image credited to Student Sports Flickr

So, a couple weeks ago, the Virginia Tech 2019 recruiting class’s official twitter (@EnterNight19) posted a highlight of Riley Simonds, another target for this class. And I responded thusly:

To which the response was:

Well, considering that Jesse Hanson is already committed, they’re now batting .666. Today, Georgetown, Kentucky offensive lineman Bryan Hudson committed to the Hokies. He’s the fifth commitment in the class, the second offensive lineman, and the third (fourth?) offensive recruit. Hudson is also the consensus highest rated commitment to the Hokies to date. He’s an 80 overall on ESPN (11th position (OG), 3rd state, 223rd overall), a 92 on 247 (9th position (OG), 5th state, 185th overall), and a 5.8 on Rivals (25th position (OT), 3rd state, 242nd overall). He is the only player from Kentucky so far this cycle, and, if 247 is correct, the first recruited player from the Bluegrass State since their records begin in 1999. It’s become more and more commonplace that players from disparate locations will join up with the Hokies as Fuente’s really started to dig in recruiting-wise. Also of note, Hudson will be competing for track and field- he throws discus and shotput.

The Hokies beat out some rather serious competition for his pledge- his other offers consisted of LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri, UNC, Notre Dame, Pitt, Ole Miss, Tennessee…that’s a lot of high end offers. But Bryan decided to call Blacksburg home, much to the appreciation of Coach Vance Vice, his primary recruiter (so far, Coach Vice has the two highest rated commitments on the board with Hanson and Hudson).

Let’s take a look at the tape and see why Bryan is considered one of the best offensive linemen in the country.

Bryan Hudson (Georgetown, Kentucky. 6’-4”, 292lbs. Offensive Line)

Okay, I’m not concerned about his defensive line tape or his longsnapping tape. He’s here with the Hokies to throw stuff and throw people (and Oscar Shadley from the 2018 class hopefully locks down longsnapping for four years). And boy, can Hudson throw people. He’s definitely got the strength to play on the offensive line in college. He’s not likely to be as dominant, but he’s got the muscle and athleticism to basically play any position on the offensive line. I still wouldn’t slot him in at left tackle because, after the reveal that apparently Silas Dzansi is the new left tackle, he’s not going to get a shot there anytime soon, and I don’t think that would be his best position. I think that due to his ability to pull and his quick movement, he’d be best used as another guard, or maybe at center. The right tackle spot might be able to use a more athletic type considering the amount of pass blocking that offensive lines need to do these days. I still think that there are things he can improve on. While he gets out of his stance at a good level and in a smart manner, he still needs work with hand placement- often times his arms will range outside on blocks where he’s trying to block down. That can be dicey if you want to avoid penalties. But if that’s my biggest gripe right now, aside from minor secondary technique issues, he’s easily one of the best offensive linemen that the Hokies have recruited in years.

Congratulations, Bryan, and welcome to Blacksburg!

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