How Will Lyndell Hudson Jr. Factor Into Florida’s Offensive Line?
Florida is looking to the transfer portal to fill its remaining roster vacancies ahead of the 2023 season.
With five scholarship spots available when the spring portal period closed on April 30, the Gators began to selectively host visitors in May and have pulled in two commitments along the way.
Having previously detailed Michigan safety transfer R.J. Moten's fit in Florida's defensive back rotation, All Gators will cover Florida International transfer Lyndell Hudson Jr.'s projected role on UF's offensive line next.
Hudson is Florida's fourth offensive line transfer acquisition of the offseason, following former Baylor guard Micah Mazzccua, Alabama offensive tackle Damieon George Jr. and Kentucky offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin.
With Freshman All-American Austin Barber locked into one of Florida's two first-team tackle positions, one of George, Goodwin and Hudson will align on the opposite side. Barber spent UF's entire spring training camp at left tackle, suggesting the competition to start will be held at right tackle.
Florida values positional versatility on the offensive line, however, which could allow the unit's assistant coaches Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton to move players around the front five as they please. If there is a logjam of capable linemen at tackle, one of those contributors could reasonably move inside to play guard.
Of the three contestants at right tackle, though, Hudson provides the most collegiate playing experience with 1,564 offensive snaps to his name, per Pro Football Focus. George was on the field for 320 snaps across three seasons at Alabama, and Goodwin earned just five snaps as a freshman at Kentucky.
Upon joining the team, Hudson will be the second-most seasoned member of Florida's offensive line. Only center Kingsley Eguakun has logged more offensive snaps in his career, with 1,747.
Although his regular competition level wasn't considered as daunting as that of an SEC program, Hudson displayed enough promise across his four seasons of playing time to suggest he could handle a jump to the Power 5.
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In his lone start against a Power 5 team, versus Texas Tech in 2021, Hudson did not allow a sack and gave up only one quarterback pressure across 26 pass-blocking reps. He also did not allow a sack in three consecutive starts against Western Kentucky, matching up against eventual third-round NFL Draft selections Brodric Martin (2023) and DeAngelo Malone (2022) of the Hilltoppers' defensive line in those games.
Across 878 pass-blocking snaps in his career, Hudson has allowed just five sacks and given up 43 quarterback pressures (one every 20 snaps). His single-season run-blocking grade peaked in 2020 with an 82.3 mark out of 100 on PFF's scale, which is considered "high quality." His respective run-blocking scores of 62.9 and 60.6 in 2021 and 2022 are considered "average."
Hudson's 2022 season was affected by a nagging back injury that hindered his ability to play at full strength. After starting for three years in a row, Hudson came off the bench to play in four games due to the Panthers' lacking offensive line depth and was sidelined fully for another two.
Yet, Hudson did not allow a sack across his 247 pass-blocking snaps on the year.
Ample experience and encouraging stats aren't mentioned to suggest Hudson's transition from Conference USA to the SEC will be easy or even a guaranteed success, much like any player making a similar jump.
However, Hudson was one of the few consistent bright spots on a Florida International team that compiled an 11-31 record during his time as a starter. It is fair to presume Hudson could perform well against a strengthened schedule of opponents with an improved supporting cast around him, and Florida offered him that opportunity given its need to continue retooling its offensive line.
There will be four new starters on Florida's 2023 offensive line, after left tackle Richard Gouraige and right guard O'Cyrus Torrence departed for the NFL while left guard Ethan White and right tackle Michael Tarquin entered the transfer portal in December 2022.
Hudson has a chance to occupy one of those spots. If he doesn't, he will likely provide valuable depth in a swing tackle role — similar to Barber in 2022 — for the Gators in his final season of college eligibility.
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