Ole Miss Rebels and Lane Kiffin pushing early to land five star offensive recruit to keep him away from SEC rivals
The Ole Miss Rebels have been known to invest early into the recruits they find most important in the Lane Kiffin era. Whether that's underrated talents like Quinshon Judkins (somehow a three star for much of his journey) or high pedigree five stars like Suntarine Perkins, Kiffin is always pushing early to make sure important […]
The Ole Miss Rebels have been known to invest early into the recruits they find most important in the Lane Kiffin era. Whether that's underrated talents like Quinshon Judkins (somehow a three star for much of his journey) or high pedigree five stars like Suntarine Perkins, Kiffin is always pushing early to make sure important players know they're wanted years in advance.
Now Kiffin is at it again, but this time at a position Ole Miss fans might not be used to seeing emphasized heavily on the recruiting trail. However, given Kiffin's offensive shift in focus over the last two seasons, that might be changing for good.
Ahmad Hudson, Five Star TE Recruit
Ahmad Hudson–a five star tight end from Louisiana ranked 12th overall in the nation–visited with Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels on Sunday. Hudson himself (in post below) and a couple national recruiting insiders confirmed this after Hudson's meeting with the team concluded.
The Rebels haven't been a program to target extremely high pedigree tight end recruits over the years, but Hudson is simply too good not to pursue as the perfect fit in Kiffin's offensive scheme.
Hudson racked up over 40 receptions, 700+ receiving yards and a half dozen touchdowns as a sophomore in high school last season. He was a do-everything offensive weapon who could win as a big-slot (where Ole Miss deploys TEs), outside wide receiver, or in-line tight end that simply could not be stopped. At 6'6", 230+ pounds with incredible speed, Hudson looks like the perfect modern tight end recruit.
Lane Kiffin's offenses haven't always used this kind of weapon, but the last two seasons are quite telling that he certainly wants that to change. He brought Caden Prieskorn in to play a huge role in his 2023 offense, averaging nearly 50 receiving yards per game. Then last year Kiffin cranked up his tight end usage even more as Prieskorn and Dae'Quan Wright collectively put up 800 yards and seven touchdowns at the position.
Then immediately following the season Kiffin and his staff made sure they targeted one of the top tight ends (if not the best one) in the Transfer Portal, adding Luke Hasz from Arkansas. It's clear Kiffin expects his tight ends to play a critical role this season as well.
If Ahmad Hudson wants to join a high flying offense that continues to feature the tight end position at an extremely high clip he's going to want to sign with Ole Miss. Both Dae'Quan Wright and Luke Hasz will be gone by the time he potentially lands in Oxford for the 2027 season, so there should be plenty of immediate opportunity to be had.
Kiffin and company had an offer in on Hudson early last fall ahead of most other SEC programs. However, LSU, Texas A&M, and Florida were in on him early too. Let's hope Kiffin and his staff keep the pedal to the metal on this recruiting battle. Hudson could be one of the highest offensive recruits to ever land with Ole Miss if Kiffin wins the day.
We'll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to see why Ahmad Hudson has risen to five star status as the premier tight end recruit in the 2027 class just check out his highlights below.
