Sunday, what had been rumored for months in Texas Tech football circles finally came to fruition. Former 5-star wide receiver signee Micah Hudson announced that he will be returning to Texas Tech after transferring to Texas A&M following the 2024 season, his first as a Red Raider.
That news, while expected, still sent waves through the Texas Tech and college football worlds. Hudson is rated a 4-star transfer by 247Sports and the No. 17 wide receiver in the portal.
That is due mostly to his immense potential and the hype that surrounded him coming out of high school. After all, he caught only eight balls for 123 yards last season while serving as a backup for the Red Raiders.
Still, the Red Raiders are happy to have a player of Hudson's natural talent in the mix once again. The question, though, is whether or not fans should expect big things from him in 2025.
— Micah Hudson ♰ (@iammike1x) April 27, 2025
Texas Tech fans might have to temper expectations of Hudson this season
While seeing the highest-rated recruit in program history return to Lubbock, especially after a stint in College Station, is exciting, it would be best for fans to temper their expectations of what Hudson could bring to the table in 2025.
This is a player who has played very little football since high school. He missed all of spring practice in 2024 recovering from knee surgery and that limited his ability to pick up the offense as quickly as he needed to in order to contribute as a true freshman.
Then, last fall, he managed to appear in only eight games with only a handful of snaps in each. Additionally, he missed significant time at the end of the season with a lower-leg injury.
Now, he's missed most of the 2025 offseason. After only weeks with the A&M program, he stepped away from the Aggies and has been out of a college training program.
Because of the timing of the spring transfer portal window, Hudson wasn't able to participate in Texas Tech's spring practices again this year. That's crucial because the Red Raiders are breaking in new offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich.
Therefore, Hudson will be behind the curve as he rejoins the Texas Tech roster. Additionally, he will face some stiff competition for playing time.
The Red Raiders are going to give plenty of playing time to upperclassmen Coy Eakin, Caleb Douglas, and Reggie Virgil this fall. All have proven capable of being big contributors at the college level and they will be leaned on heavily to lead the receiving corps this fall.
Now, it must be stated that each of the three players mentioned above were injured and missed time in the spring. While that was not ideal, it did allow for younger players like Kelby Valsin, Tyson Turner, Leyton Stone, and Michael Dever to get valuable reps and that might put even those players ahead of Hudson in terms of the pecking order heading into fall camp.
In fact, it might be a wise idea for Hudson to consider taking a redshirt season in 2025. While the program has not indicated that is in the works, it wouldn't be the worst situation for him after a chaotic first year in the college ranks.
Taking a redshirt in 2025 would not only allow Hudson to catch back up from a developmental standpoint, but it would also lessen the fan expectations of him, which are through the roof because of his 5-star past.
Of course, Hudson could surprise us all and become a breakout star in fall camp. But until that happens, it would be wise to just treat him as another player on the roster and not as a foundational pillar of the 2025 team. Still, it is great to see that whatever he accomplishes in the college ranks will be done in scarlet and black.