On Thursdays over the summer, The Juice Online is going to highlight individual players on the 2015 Syracuse football team. This week, we’re profiling defensive back Cordell Hudson.
If you happened to catch Syracuse’s spring game in April, one of the biggest takeaways was quarterback Terrel Hunt’s struggles in returning to the field after a leg injury caused him to miss half the 2014 season.
Hunt went 10 for 30 for 145 yards and zero touchdowns. Overall, the quarterbacks combined to complete just 21 of 48 passes.
Of course, that’s the half empty way of looking at the equation.
The glass-half-full take on the spring game would be to point to a young and improving defense, which stifled the offense.
One player that particularly stood out was cornerback Cordell Hudson, one of several players in the mix for the second starting cornerback position alongside Julian Whigham.
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Hudson notched a tackle and broke up two passes in the spring game, which was even more impressive given that he was constantly matched up against two bigger and taller receivers, Jamal Custis and Adly Enoicy.
“Cordell Hudson, I thought he played a really good game on the sideline,” Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said after the spring game. “They threw a lot of deep balls at him and he made some good pass breakups.”
Even on the one deep ball that got over the secondary–a 36-yard touchdown to receiver Adly Enoicy from Austin Wilson–Hudson drew attention to the pressure that had been put on Wilson before the throw.
“Technically,” Hudson said jokingly, “it was a sack.”
Inside slant: With Brandon Reddish gone, the cornerback spot is up for grabs, and Hudson, Juwan Dowels and former WR Corey Winfield are all possible players to land the job. Hudson is listed at 5’11” and 166 pounds, but he’ll have an opportunity to add some muscle in the offseason.
Vitals:
- Birthdate: April 1996
- Hometown: Largo, Fla.
- High School: Largo High School
- Position: Defensive back
- Class: Redshirt Freshman
- Height: 5’11”
- Weight: 166 lbs
Career highlights: At Largo High School, Hudson notched 83 tackles and five interceptions in his career, and was named to the 2013 Tampa Bay Times Class 6A All-State Second Team.
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