Vanderbilt Reunites Wide Receiver Trent Hudson With Their Star Quarterback
Vanderbilt is one day away from competing in the Birmingham Bowl with a program milestone on the line as they search for their first winning season since 2013.
Regardless of the result, there is no one who can say what the Commodores have done this year wasn't a success.
From upsetting one of the ACC favorites in Virginia Tech, to taking Missouri to overtime, to beating then-top-ranked Alabama, to losing against Texas by one score, to winning their sixth game to qualify for the postseason, this has easily been the best performance under head coach Clark Lea.
Unlike others who have come to Nashville, he's not looking to use this program as a stepping stone.
As a local native and former Vanderbilt player, Lea wants to build this into a powerhouse.
He is nervous that this could be a one-and-done type of situation, similar to how it was after they won five games in 2022 and followed it up with a disastrous 2-10 showing the following year where they went winless in conference play.
But, with their quarterback Diego Pavia getting another season of eligibility which keeps him with the program in 2025, things are now looking up for the Commodores.
Now that it's confirmed the star signal caller is back, Vanderbilt has been able to start landing some offensive weapons out of the transfer portal after the uncertainty surrounding Pavia's situation was reportedly hurting them in that aspect.
Trent Hudson was the most recent wide receiver addition, joining the high-upside pass catcher Chance Fitzgerald.
— trent (@kingtrent_03) December 26, 2024
Pavia and Hudson are now reunited after both spent the 2023 season with New Mexico State.
During that campaign, the 6-foot-3, 180-pounder caught 36 passes for 571 yards and 10 touchdowns, making him one of the most productive players they had on offense.
But instead of following Pavia and tight end Eli Stowers to Vanderbilt, Hudson transferred to Mississippi State where he played in four games and didn't record a single offensive stat.
That will certainly change in 2025.
With Hudson and Pavia already having chemistry, they should be able to get on the same page quickly and create more of an offensive threat as the Commodores look to follow up their successful showing this year.
