Dallas Cowboys rookie wide receiver Jordan Hudson may have a college football exit ramp waiting for him if his NFL shot disappears.
That’s the strange reality around Hudson right now: he’s trying to stick with the Cowboys, but if he doesn’t, a return to school could be on the table. On Friday night at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, he gave college coaches plenty to look at anyway, catching four passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 27-24 loss to the Saints.
Hudson, a native of Garland, played for TCU in 2022 and then spent the next three seasons at SMU. He’s an undrafted free agent and is not expected to make Dallas’ 53-man roster, which will be finalized on Sunday. His clearest path to staying with the Cowboys would be landing on the practice squad, though another team could also come calling.
If none of that happens, college may be an option again.
Hudson is part of a group of players who began college in the fall of 2022, played four seasons, and could now return “to school” for a fifth year. Earlier this summer, a judge ruled those players had been granted an extra year of eligibility. After that, the NCAA and then the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC said those players could not compete in their leagues.
That fight was sparked by LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who had intended to sign tight end Dae’Quan Wright after the Cleveland Browns cut him during the preseason. Kiffin explained the thinking this way: “If he doesn’t play for me, he’s going to play against me.”
A Dallas judge later granted a temporary restraining order against those restrictions from the “power leagues,” opening the door for players like Wright and Hudson to potentially return to NCAA sports. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 11.
For now, Hudson says he wants to keep his pro career alive.
“I’m focusing on making this team. That’s where my priority is at,” he said after the game in the locker room. “But if the opportunity comes, and I get cut, I will have to figure it out when we get there.”
That decision would have to come quickly. NFL Week 1 runs Sept. 9-14, while NCAA football begins this weekend.
There’s also the small matter of enrollment, which could complicate any college return. The player still has to enroll in classes, and unless a school runs on a trimester system, making the move work would require exceptions to get the player eligible.
And in this version of college sports, even the word “eligible” has become slippery. Coaches themselves, including Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, have said they don’t know who is actually allowed to be on a roster.
Until the legal dust settles, coaches are expected to keep watching the waiver wire for players who would basically be fifth-year seniors, good enough to help a Power Four team but not quite enough to stick on an NFL roster.
Hudson would prefer the NFL. If that door closes, college could pay better anyway.
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