The Texas Longhorns were able to get Silsbee offensive tackle Patrick Hudson on campus recently for a three-day official visit, but were ultimately unable to flip the Baylor Bears pledge, who faxed his National Letter of Intent to head coach Art Briles on Wednesday.
During Hudson's visit to Austin, he spent time with offensive guard Patrick Vahe, who had an outstanding freshman season for the Longhorns, and Silsbee native Mark Henry, a current Austinite and former Olympic weightlifter, internationally-renowned powerlifter, and professional wrestler.
Several factors worked against the Longhorns, including a twin sister who tentatively plans on participating in track at Baylor, Hudson's loyalty to the Bears after committing back in 2014, and the recent history of success by offensive linemen in Waco -- after Spencer Drango hears his name called in the 2016 NFL Draft, he'll be the eighth offensive lineman drafted out of Baylor in the last seven years. By comparison, Texas hasn't had an offensive lineman drafted since 2008.
The vast difference in ability to develop NFL linemen was a major factor in the decision of Copperas Cove offensive tackle JP Urquidez, who grew up a Texas fan in a family full of Texas fans, but committed to Baylor last summer.
In light of those factors, it's relatively surprising that the Longhorns even had a chance with Hudson and were able to get him on campus for parts of three days.
The consensus four-star prospect is ranked as the No. 32 player nationally, the No. 3 offensive tackle, and the No. 5 player in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Texas currently holds four offensive line pledges in the 2016 class, but only 2016 Under Armour All-American Jean Delance projects as a pure offensive tackle at the college level.