Nine months after giving Matt Rhule an early win in the 2027 class, Nebraska commit Trae Taylor is facing a different kind of pressure. His long push to help bring five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson to Lincoln has now run into a serious test, with Lane Kiffin and LSU turning up the heat.

That nine-month foundation faces its biggest threat because Lane Kiffin isn’t just relying on LSU’s legacy appeal. He’s actively treating Hudson as a program cornerstone, with a spring camp visit in Baton Rouge lined up.

According to On3, Lane Kiffin and the Tigers open the doors of Baton Rouge for their first spring camp. They are hosting Tigers’ top targets from across the state, and one of them is the much-coveted Ahmad Hudson, the No.1 tight end. 

Going by On3’s prediction meter, LSU holds the highest chance, 96.6%, to bring Hudson to Baton Rouge.  

“The Tigers have been steadily climbing with the 5-star prospect, and I believe they will be a factor in this recruitment until Hudson puts pen to paper,” wrote Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst, Sam Spiegelman. 

But what makes it a challenge for Taylor? Back in May, when he committed to Rhule’s squad, he jumped into business in wooing the five-star tight end from Ruston High School in Ruston, LA.

“Ahmad (Hudson) is a kid who has a TE build but the athleticism of a WR, which means he is too fast for LBs and too big for DBs to deal with,” Nebraska’s quarterback commit said. 

In that way, bringing in Hudson to Nebraska would make Taylor’s job easier. The Rustom product brings more separation and better odds on every throw. Standing tall at 6 feet 7 inches and weighing 220 pounds, the Nebraska quarterback saw Hudson as a weapon. So, back in June 2025, Taylor teamed up with the tight end at the Nebraska-sponsored 7 on 7 tournament, Battle of the Boneyard.

At the same time, Taylor kept the social media game strong. On June 5, he posted a picture with Hudson and offensive tackle Mark Matthews in front of “GO BIG RED” backdrop.

“These 2 right here, @AhmadHudson9 @mark95matthews monsters … @HuskerFootball is in the mix, now for Husker nation to close them. FYI, rarely do I feel small lol,” read the caption.

As the clips from the Battle of Boneyard started to go viral on social media, the chemistry between Taylor and Hudson was noticeable. Then came the approval from the Nebraska quarterback himself.

“Yes, yes @HuskerFootball,” he wrote, resharing a tweet where an analyst talked about the bonding.

“When you have 6’7, understanding where to put it is most important. @AhmadHudson9 imagine what this would feel like when we do it with a packed stadium for @HuskerFootball 😎,” he further pushed Hudson to choose Nebraska.

Turns out that Taylor is not the only one who is recruiting Hudson hard.

Last November, analyst Hayes Fawcett reported Hudson trimming down his suitors’ list to the top 12 schools. In the comment section, the tight end wrote, “Where’s home?🏡”

“Not leaving this state,” commented the LSU commit, DT Lamar Brown, while Alabama commit, quarterback Trent Seaborn wrote, “home is in ttown🤞🏽🐘”

But even amid all this push, Rhule’s Nebraska still has some hope. 

Matt Rhule’s Nebraska sees silver lining as Lane Kiffin makes big push for Ahmad Hudson

According to On3’s 2027 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, Nebraska has already locked in seven commitments, as Rhule’s squad is enjoying the Top 10 spot. When it comes to recruiting momentum, Kiffin’s LSU is lagging with only two recruits so far. 

Here comes some more motivation for Rhule to push the throttle on the recruiting race. On March 16, Fawcett dropped Hudson’s top six schools, and the Cornhuskers made the cut along with LSU, Texas A&M, Miami, USC, and Missouri. 

But the standard they will have to beat? First of all, he is a Tigers’ legacy recruit. Hudson’s father, Antonio Hudson, played for the LSU men’s hoops team. Secondly, Rhule has to compete with Kiffin’s dedication. 

“When you speak to a head coach, it shows how much they care about you,” said the tight end. “Coach Kiffin was texting me before the state championship game, wishing me good luck. Not a lot of people like that have the time to really do that, so that shows that he took time out of his busy day as the head coach of Louisiana State University to wish me good luck. It’s just different.”

While Lane Kiffin, himself, is enough for LSU, in Nebraska, Matt Rhule will have Trae Taylor’s back. Will the team work pay off to land Ahmad Hudson’s commitment?