Former Clemson Commit Flips to Texas Longhorns

After beating Ole Miss this past weekend, the Longhorns made sure to secure a commitment from a former Tiger pledge in the process.

Former Clemson commit R.J. Hudson announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns on Monday afternoon, following a visit with the program this past weekend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Earlier this month, Clemson Football officially saw its first decommitment from the class of 2027, and ironically, it came from one of the program’s most recent commits. Now, just two weeks later, that same player has already found a new home.

On Monday afternoon, Varina (Va.) linebacker/edge rusher RJ “Bounce” Hudson announced his commitment to the Texas Longhorns, as first-reported by On3’s Hayes Fawcett. The SEC program joined the picture late last month, extending an offer to Hudson amid a standout senior season. 

Hudson is rated a consensus three-star prospect and ranks as high as the No. 488 overall player, the No. 44 player at his position and the No. 14 recruit in the state of Virginia, according to the 247Sports Composite.

BREAKING: Class of 2027 LB RJ Hudson has Committed to Texas, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’1 210 LB was previously Committed to Clemson

“They not for the weak or timid, they chose right.”https://t.co/VvntO0khkp pic.twitter.com/uQUAIaEofr

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 26, 2026

As noted, the news follows closely on the heels of the three-star prospect’s decommitment from the Tigers, which came as little surprise since he had scheduled an official visit to Texas for this past weekend’s game against Ole Miss. Evidently, the Longhorns made a strong impression in their 34-27 win, because he pledged to the program just two days later.

It’s well known that Swinney has a program-wide policy against commits visiting other schools, which leaves most players who do so with no choice but to decommit. There have been some exceptions over the years, including Deshaun Watson visiting Auburn while pledged to the Tigers; however, it’s unlikely for most players.

The most recent situation involving this policy was four-star edge rusher Dre Quinn of the 2026 class, who was committed to the Tigers for three months before visiting Tennessee, which led to his decommitment and eventual signing with Ohio State.

Hudson was one of Clemson’s fallback options at linebacker after the Tigers lost out on four-star Kentucky commit Sean Fox, who was out-bid by the Wildcats, and four-star Notre Dame commit Roman Igwebuike, whose timeline didn’t match up with the program’s.

The 6-foot-3 hybrid defender first earned his offer from the Tigers while attending the annual Dabo Swinney Football Camp. Clemson quickly set up an official visit for the following weekend, and just one week after his trip to Tigertown, he committed to the program over Maryland, Penn State, Virginia Tech and Syracuse.

As a junior for the Varina Blue Devils, Hudson finished with 45 tackles, eight for a loss, 13 sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception across 15 contests.

With Hudson’s decommitment, the Tigers are now left with just two linebackers in their 2027 class: four-star Bryce Kish of Howell, Michigan and three-star Max Brown of Jefferson, Georgia.

Clemson is unlikely to add another player at the position before National Signing Day, since most top recruits are already committed. However, the staff could look for a prospect who has flown under the radar or is breaking out as a senior if they feel it’s necessary.