Ahmad Hudson, Top Tight End and Star Basketball Recruit, Commits to LSU

The Tigers may have landed two athletes in one body.

Ahmad Hudson, a formidable two-sport star from Ruston, La., is staying in-state. | Henrietta Wildsmith/The Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Sunday, LSU landed a terrific football recruit and a great basketball player.

The kicker: they’re both the same guy.

Ruston (La.) High School tight end Ahmad Hudson has committed to play football for the Tigers, he announced in a Sunday afternoon Instagram post. Hudson is a five-star recruit and 247 Sports’s No. 1 ranked tight end for the Class of 2027.

That’s not all, however. In April, Hudson won Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball award after averaging a double-double. In his state championship game, he casually scored 32 points, pulled down 20 rebounds, and blocked seven shots.

He’ll have a decision to make over whether to suit up for Coach Will Wade’s hardwood LSU squad, but in the meantime, the Tigers can bask in a double recruiting coup.

Hudson had a bevy of offers in both his sports

On the gridiron, Hudson picked LSU over Nebraska. Texas A&M and USC were also high on Hudson’s list, with other banner names like Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas offering.

Hudson also reeled in nine hoops offers, including both the Tigers and Cornhuskers. The Crimson Tide, Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss and the Aggies were the other SEC schools to offer in basketball, along with Louisiana Tech (his hometown team) and Grambling.

If Hudson wants to play both sports, there’s precedent

Hudson is part of a long lineage of tight ends with high-end basketball backgrounds, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

In our specialized century, playing both basketball and football in college is exceedingly rare, but it has happened. Two examples: All-American North Carolina defensive lineman Julius Peppers (who led the ACC in field-goal percentage in 2001), and All-ACC Duke guard Greg Paulus (who transferred to Syracuse and became its starting quarterback).

A particularly interesting case exists among Hudson’s fraternity of Louisiana Mr. Basketball winners. Forward Rico Gathers won the award in 2011 and enrolled at Baylor, making a pair of All-Big 12 teams with the Bears. In 2016, he entered the NFL draft, and the Cowboys took him in the sixth round. He played 15 games for Dallas in 2018, and a precedent was set.

Of the NFL’s top 10 all-time leading tight ends in Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value statistic, nine have basketball backgrounds. Tony Gonzalez (California), Antonio Gates (Eastern Michigan and Kent State), Shannon Sharpe (Savannah State), and Jimmy Graham (Miami) played in college, while Travis Kelce, Jason WItten, Rob Gronkowski, Greg Olsen and Ozzie Newsome played in high school.

For LSU coach Lane Kiffin, a solid 2027 class continues to take shape

The Tigers are only No. 33 in the 247Sports ’27 recruiting rankings, but it’s extremely early. Hudson is the crown jewel of a class with three other top-200 players so far: edge rusher Jaiden Bryant, athlete Braylon Calais and quarterback Peyton Houston.

Among prospects still on the board, LSU will host edge rusher Abraham Sesay (May 29) and interior offensive lineman Ismael Camara (June 5) on visits in the near future. Combine that with Kiffin’s transfer portal savvy, and provided the Tigers’ endless well of internal politics doesn’t rear its ugly head, the coach should have LSU back in national contention in no time.

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