Fla. DT Christian Hudson flips from UCF to Colorado football

It started with the Colorado blowout win over UCF in Orlando.

Christian Hudson, pledged to the Knights at the time, was in town as a recruit on the home side. The Buffs broke out during the game and had been hyping up its efforts to recruit Floridians in the process.

A week later, the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland defensive tackle scheduled his first trip to Boulder, for an official visit with Kansas State in town.

Not long after, the commitment decision has shifted from UCF to CU, Hudson announced on Friday.

“They made me feel at home,” Hudson told Rivals of his decision. “And they’re definitely building something special up there and I want to be a part of that.

“They’re going to help me get to the next level.”

The newest Buff is pledge No. 9 for Coach Prime and company, the second straight win in his native Sunshine State after having flipped defensive back Antonio Branch from Penn State in late September.

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Hudson had long been considered rock solid to UCF, but the trip to Boulder began to change plenty in this recruitment.

“It was great overall,” he said after the first impression. “Really great to get up there for a game and get a feel of the atmosphere. It’s really a great place. My favorite part was sitting down and talking to Coach Prime and Coach (Damione) Lewis and Coach (Devin) Rispress — all of them are very down to earth people who care about there athletes and they have a great plan for my future, not just on the field but also off the field.

“They’re definitely in a great standing with me.”

The standing only improved in the two weeks since the trip, with CU staff remaining steady with communication and even hitting the road to help build the class bigger than originally considered.

Hudson is a bit undersized relative to an NFL projection but he is as productive and disruptive as it gets on Friday nights. Playing for a defending state champion in one of Florida’s highest classifications, the new Buff registered 27 tackles for loss to go along with nine sacks as a junior. Thus far in 2024, he is on a similar pace from a production standpoint, and has even added turnovers to his resume in securing an interception return for a score earlier this season.

Where Hudson shines brightest is immediately after the snap, where his combination of lower body power, quickness and instincts force pressure on blockers sooner than with most big interior types. He uses leverage and his hands well technically, too, often re-establishing the line of scrimmage as a result. The motor, leadership and confidence departments are each strengths as well.

There may not be clear blue-chip status with Hudson due to modern measurables at the position, mainly a lack of ideal length, but the chip on the shoulder it has created should continue to lend itself towards production in the Big 12.