The Clemson Tigers were a little late in offering outside linebacker/edge rusher RJ Hudson, but in the case of the Richmond, Virginia prospect, it was better late than never.
Hudson committed to the Tigers on Friday, choosing Clemson over Maryland with offers from Syracuse, Penn State, Virginia Tech and a host of others on the table. The three-star linebacker, listed at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, took an official visit to Clemson last weekend and commits before the start of the summer dead period, which has also become an unofficial recruiting deadline.
Clemson added LB commit RJ Hudson to its class earlier today and he chose the Tigers for many reasons “Connection, relationship, reliability and foundation were big in my decision to pick Clemson.”Read: https://t.co/h2qVJZgJUppic.twitter.com/VJ5CNUpN23
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) June 20, 2026
“They just kept getting better and stayed on track with recruiting me,” Hudson said to Rivals. “I built strong relationships with defensive ends coach Chris Rumph, linebackers coach Nick Eason, former Clemson star Ben Boulware, defensive coordinator Tom Allen and Coach Swinney. “Those relationships meant a lot to me. They made me feel like a priority.”
Clemson lands pledge from EDGE/LB target RJ Hudson
Hudson’s commitment gives Clemson a developmental defensive piece to work with. He’s a little undersized to be a natural edge, but Hudson’s ability to get to the quarterback is something that defensive coordinator Tom Allen can certainly use in situational packages. He’ll be brought in as an outside linebacker, and we’ll see how he takes to the position full-time. As a pass rusher, Hudson’s credentials speak for themselves with 13 sacks last season as a junior…