Texas Tech OC Zach Kittley talks about Micah Hudson and playing time

Just when it seemed like calls from Texas Tech fans to see more of freshman wide receiver Micah Hudson were beginning to die down, the former five-star recruit reignited that conversation Saturday against Baylor. Late in the 59-35 loss, Hudson threw a one-handed grab 26 yards down the sideline, setting up Tech’s final touchdown of the day.

On the play, the 2023 high school All-American went over a Baylor defensive back and caught a pass that looked like it was being thrown over his head. It was Hudson’s most impressive play so far in 2024 and underscored his enormous potential. The catch also prompted many Texas Tech fans to take to social media to demand that Hudson receive more playing time.

When offensive coordinator Zach Kittley met with the media on Monday, he was naturally asked what Hudson needs to do during the week to earn more snaps. His answer probably wasn’t what most Texas Tech fans wanted to hear.

“He’s doing a really good job,” Kittley said. “Again, I think the last few games we’ve really seen the rise of Caleb Douglas, you know. And right now he’s kind of fighting in the same position as him. I’ve said it many times, these three main guys are going to be our main guys and we’re going to have the packages and some of those things for Micah.

“And again he is progressing as he should. He’s doing a good job again, so we’ll continue to have a few things for him here and there. Just keep practicing with him and make him confident in what we are doing.” . And again I’ve seen the confidence go up and you can see the ability to play big games and hopefully we can see some more of that as time goes on.”

Hudson’s problem right now is that he’s only learning one position on the field and is blocked at that position by Douglas, the Florida transfer who ranks second on the roster in catches (30), receiving yards (419) and touchdowns Receptions (4). So putting Hudson on the field more often would mean taking one of Tech’s best receivers out of the game, and that’s not something the coaching staff necessarily wants to do.

Remember, Hudson missed all of spring football as he recovered from knee surgery. That limited his ability to learn the entire offense and potentially play multiple positions. Therefore, he is not yet ready to play in the slot or at another wide receiver position.

So far this year, Hudson has caught eight passes for 123 yards. That’s well below the level Texas Tech fans were expecting at this point in the season due to the hype surrounding his arrival, which was only heightened by head coach Joey McGuire calling Hudson a “generational talent” this offseason.

Hudson could end up proving that his head coach’s words are true. However, despite the fact that he makes some plays that have Red Raider fans’ mouths watering, it looks like we won’t be seeing his full dose of offense any time soon.