Nebraska football’s LSU flip challenge is growing after 5-star's Coach O comments

There were concerns around the Nebraska football program that the arrival of Ed Orgeron on the LSU staff would make things more difficult to flip vaunted tight end prospect Ahmad Hudson. Last week, Hudson himself talked about how excited he was to play under Orgeron, and it's clear the Huskers have their work cut out for them.

“I love it. I wanted to go there as a kid," Hudson told On3 when asked about his reaction to Orgeron's new job. "Now I get the chance to actually talk to Coach O. He brought a natty to The Boot. What else can I say?"

If the fight for Hudson was just Matt Rhule vs Lane Kiffin, Nebraska felt it had a "non-zero" chance of flipping the 5-star tight end by December. However, Orgeron is one of the best recruiters in the game, having served as a coach at USC, Ole Miss, and LSU. Now that he's essentially the lead recruiter for Kiffin's staff, he was used quickly to lock down Hudson.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound recruit from Ruston, Louisiana, is the No. 22 overall recruit and the third-ranked prospect from the state of Louisiana in the SC Next 300. He announced his commitment to LSU over Nebraska via social media earlier in May. Even worse is that LSU isn't leaving the Cornhuskers alone as Kiffin and Orgeron are also gunning for NU's 5-star defensive back commit, Tory Pittman.

Ahmad Hudson remains a Nebraska football target, but Ed Orgeron gives LSU a major edge

A two-sport star with a long list of high-major basketball offers, Hudson courted interest from football programs across the Big Ten and SEC this spring as one of the nation's top pass-catching prospects in the 2027 cycle. He initially scheduled official visits with LSU, Nebraska, Texas A&M, and USC before canceling his trips to see the Aggies and Trojans and narrowing his recruitment to the Tigers and Cornhuskers last month.

His status as one of the best basketball recruits doubles the pain Nebraska feels by losing Hudson to LSU, as Fred Hoiberg was very interested in finding a way to get the big power forward to split time with Rhule's program and Nebrasketball. Now Kiffin's recruiting win aids new LSU b-ball coach Will Wade, who is trying to rebuild his roster from zero.

Orgeron in Baton Rouge doesn't mean the Huskers are giving up on Ahmad Hudson completely. Rhule and his staff have stayed in contact with the 5-star prospect. So have quarterback commit Trae Taylor and wide receiver commit Tay Ellis. The trio were fast friends during the period when NU recruited all three, and that's one reason it was thought they'd all be college teammates.

If there is a bright spot in Ed Orgeron's addition to the LSU staff, it's that there are still seven months until signing day. It might have been more harmful to Nebraska if the ace recruiter's hire had been an "October surprise" and a secret weapon for the Bayou Bengals this fall.

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