Photo via Syracusefan.com
Cordell Hudson doesn’t know any magic tricks. He doesn’t carry around a pack of phony playing cards, he can’t yank a rabbit from his hat. His teammates at Largo High School in Florida still refer to him as the magician, though.
“I make things happen,” Hudson said.
The 3-star cornerback is one of the top cover corners in all of Florida and he has garnered multiple scholarship offers from schools around the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten. But there are only a few schools that top his list. And the senior told The Fizz Syracuse is one of them.
‚ÄúSyracuse is a good school academically and the conversations that Coach [Tim] Lester and I had went great, so I just want to get up there and take a chance and see what it‚Äôs like in Syracuse.”
Orange fans can catch Cordell when he comes for his official visit in December. SU is battling with Rutgers and Iowa State РHudson’s two other top choices at the moment Рfor the services of the 5’11”, 170-lb DB. The Florida native has been in touch with not only Coach Lester but recruiting coordinator Eric White as well. Hudson told The Fizz he had terrific conversations with both, and is looking forward to meeting head coach Scott Shafer. The magician on the football field is pretty adamant that he wants to go to college outside of his home state of Florida.
Hudson has five interceptions during his varsity career at Largo HS. He’s not just physically gifted on the gridiron. His defensive prowess came from his once-great offensive prowess.
“It’s a mental thing. I didn’t play corner back until I made varsity [my sophomore year]. As a freshman I played receiver. I’ve been playing WR my whole life, and it’s good for me, so it’s just easier to recognize routes and after you practice plays every week, you know what type of routes receivers are going to run. It’s second nature.”
He’s intelligent on and off the field. Hudson currently has a 4.5 weighted GPA at Largo while balancing football practices, his high school course load and a part-time job on weekends working at a nursing home. Hudson works with food prep and says the best part about his job is seeing the smiles on the residents’ faces when he serves their food. Think that’s impressive? Try doing all of that while also taking college courses.
Hudson is also enrolled at St. Petersburg College, which is about 20 minutes south of his high school. His parents always stressed academics, and he decided to get an extra jump on his college work load by enrolling in a few math and science courses while still in high school.
“I want to pursue some type of engineering. I’ve looked into aerophysics and computer engineering. I figured it would be a good career for me because math is my strongest subject. When I was little I always liked taking things apart and putting them back together.”
 It shows in other ways, as well. Teammates often come to him for tutoring, which Hudson enjoys.
¬†‚ÄúWhere I live, it‚Äôs hard to stay focused off the field. So I know whatever I can say or do to help my friends, I feel like it‚Äôs my responsibility to do that.”
Hudson admitted that his schedule is sometimes difficult. Most of his classmates at Largo are stunned when they hear about his daily grind, and some question his decision to throw so much on his plate as just a teenager. But Cordell easily makes their apprehension disappear. Look like the dynamic 3-star DB may have some tricks up his sleeve after all.
Posted: Kevin Fitzgerald
