Kobe Hudson recalls reunion with Gus Malzahn at UCF: ‘It was great’

UCF wide receiver Kobe Hudson had a breakout season in head coach Gus Malzahn‘s offense last year after leading the Knights in touchdown receptions. But his ties with Malzahn date further back than their time spent in Orlando.

Malzahn recruited Hudson out of high school when he was still the head coach at Auburn, and was clearly convincing, as he signed with the Tigers ahead of the 2020 season season. But after being fired during Hudson’s freshman year Malzahn moved on to coach at UCF, with Hudson following suit shortly after.

In a recent conversation with On3’s Andy Staples, Hudson spoke on reuniting with Malzahn and the special bond the two have shared over the years.

“It was great, it was just great to see him and just see how happy he was for us to just reunite. So when he left I was really heartbroken,” Hudson admitted.

Hudson was a four-star prospect out of Troup County High School in Lagrange (GA), where he was ranked the No. 109 overall player and No. 20 wide receiver in the country for the 2020 recruiting cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He appeared in every game of his true freshman season at Auburn, making seven catches for 70 yards before Malzahn’s firing. Taking his game to another level in the next season where he was Auburn’s leading receiving, ending his sophomore season with 44 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns.

Hudson entered the transfer portal following two years with the Tigers, knowing immediately who he wanted to play for to close out his college career.

“So when I got in the transfer portal, everybody was hitting me up, but I really had my mind set from the jump that I wanted to come back and be with him,” Hudson said.

The Hudson and Malzahn pairing would wind up being a perfect match yet again, as Hudson would notch career highs in receiving yards and touchdowns in his first year at UCF while Malzahn led the program to their second straight nine-win season and a conference championship game appearance.

Hudson appeared in 12 games as a junior and made 10 starts (starting the last nine games) where he caught 39 passes for 641 yards and a team-leading seven touchdown catches. But would yet again take another big stride in the following season, this time in his senior year as the Knights would join the Big 12.

He earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors last year after recording 44 receptions for 900 yards and eight touchdowns, and now returns to UCF for one final year with Malzahn that could be the best yet for the duo in Orlando.