#27 S Austin Hudson
Sophomore, 6'2", 205 lbs.
Stats in 2014: Hudson played in all 14 games for Wisconsin as a true freshman, racking up 19 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in backup and special teams duty.
Spot on Fall Camp Depth Chart: Not listed, as has to sit out a season after transferring from Wisconsin. He'll have three years to play three seasons starting in 2016.
How He Came to USF: Austin was a standout receiver and safety at local Plant High School, where he picked up one of the strangest offer lists you'll ever see: Wisconsin, Georgia, Missouri, Holy Cross, and Jacksonville State. He picked the Badgers, enrolled early and earned decent playing time as a true freshman. His transfer was a bit of a shocker, as he was expected to work his way further into the secondary rotation this season, but his comments made it seem like he just wanted to head back home.
"I have nothing negative to say," Hudson told BadgerNation. "It was a journey I needed to make to understand where I belong and Wisconsin just wasn't the right fit. Football wise it may have been but in terms of what I idealize, the school itself wasn't the right fit."
Recruiting Rankings: Depending on where you looked, Hudson was either a low three-star or a high two-star recruit. Rivals and 247 both gave him two.
Projected Playing Time: None in 2015, obviously, and it's not like Hudson is a shoo-in for a starting job in 2016. But he adds another quality body in the secondary rotation, and with three years of eligibility starting next season, he should become a fixture in the Bulls' back line.
Highlights: Here's Austin's sack-fumble of Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong last season, in the fourth quarter of a game the Badgers absolutely dominated.
And here you can see the full highlight reel of his true freshman season.
<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/athlete/1714380/highlights/236218381' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>
I really like Austin's potential-- he's tall, rangy, and athletic. With a year under his belt (and assuming USF's scheme stays the same), he could make a good replacement for Jamie Byrd at the Husky position. I think much of the reason he was underrated during the recruitment process had to do with his playing both ways; now that he's established at safety, he could develop into a big-time player.