BREAKING: Veteran OL Cole Hutson Returns to Texas for Fifth Season

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Inside Texas Football

Episode: BREAKING: Veteran OL Cole Hutson Returns to Texas for Fifth Season
Date: August 6, 2026
Host(s): Inside Texas (A & B)
Main Topic: Cole Hudson’s Return to the Texas Longhorns Offensive Line for a Fifth Season

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the breaking news that veteran offensive lineman Cole Hutson is returning to the Texas Longhorns for a fifth season. Inside Texas hosts discuss the implications for the team's offensive line, the legal context that enabled Hudson’s return, and the competitive ramifications in the trenches for the upcoming season.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Immediate Impact of Cole Hudson’s Return

• Stability on the Line

  • The hosts agree Hudson’s return guarantees at least a similar level of stability at center and left guard as the end of last season.
  • "[Hudson] was pretty solid [at left guard]. Now that's assuming that Hudson comes back and he's... excited, right? Motivated and all that." (B, 01:16)
  • Moving Hudson to left guard and Connor Robertson to center late last year stabilized the group.

• Continuity and Experience

  • Hudson's relationships with fellow linemates and experience with the playbook give him an early edge.

2. Legal Backdrop and “Wild West” Eligibility

• NCAA Eligibility Rule Change
  • A Colorado judge granted a preliminary injunction on the NCAA's five-for-five rule, retroactively allowing the 2022 class an extra year of eligibility.
  • "So a lot of 2022 guys were like, this is not fair. You did an arbitrary cutoff at 2023. So the judge... says, 'All those 2022 guys are good to play.'" (A, 02:10)
• Clarification on Return Restrictions & Transfer Portal
  • Only players already in the transfer portal could benefit, and those who had pursued a professional path were excluded.
  • The situation was complex, but Hudson’s legal advice paved the way for clearance.

3. Competition and Depth Chart Effects

• Positional Battles
  • Hudson’s return creates a direct competition with new transfer Seymour and other linemen like Kojo and Sikorski.
  • "Every rep that goes to one player doesn't go to another... So there's a part of me that's a little bit worried about giving Flood a comfort option." (B, 05:25)
• Challenges for Seymour
  • Seymour has less familiarity—Hudson knows the system and the coaches well. The hosts worry about incentive for comfort picks.
  • "It does incentivize that at some human level. I’m a little bit fearful of that as well." (A, 05:45)
• Size and Fit
  • Hudson matches SEC lineman size, which Flood prefers, adding a physical element that could tip the battle.

4. Floor vs. Ceiling Debate

• Stability vs. Upside
  • Hudson’s return sets a clear baseline, but may limit experimentation with higher-upside but unproven players.
  • "The more players you can name, the farther you are from success. But... line bodies matter a little bit too." (A, 07:47)
• Best-case Scenarios
  • If Hudson wins the job outright, it's because he is the best option. If not, a capable, experienced backup offers insurance.

5. Broader Program Implications and Fan Sentiment

• Managing Fears of Repeating Past Weaknesses
  • Hosts acknowledge fan anxiety about running back last year's underwhelming offensive line but highlight the value of a floor setter.
  • "The knee-jerk here is just pure fear that we run back the offensive line that everyone's so emotionally traumatized by. But there are bright side options here." (A, 07:41)
• Competition as a Positive
  • The returning core brings stability and drama that will energize fall camp battles.
  • "This is generally good news for Texas. It's going to create some floor and stability. It's going to create drama and intrigue for us in fall camps." (B, 08:28)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If assuming... that's the Cole Hudson that we just saw against Michigan comes back, then it's like, hey, at least they have this and potentially better. Which is not crazy to think that he could get better…” (B, 01:16)
• “Every rep that goes to one player doesn't go to another. Limited reps, limited time to figure this out.” (B, 05:25)
• “It does incentivize that at some human level. And I think I'm a little bit fearful of that as well.” (A, 05:45)
• “[Hudson] looks more like an SEC offensive lineman, like six three or whatever. And we know how Cal Flood loves big people.” (B, 06:19)
• “I know your rule is the more players you can name, the farther you are from success. But there's also like man o line bodies matter a little bit too, because to me, it's like if he can be that floor setter, like say, God forbid, first string, he's second string and first string gets hurt. Now you're like, I'm glad we picked up Hudson.” (A, 07:47)
• “This is generally good news for Texas... going to create drama and intrigue for us in fall camps.” (B, 08:28)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:16 — Hudson’s immediate impact on stability and experience
• 02:10 – 03:39 — Legal context of NCAA eligibility changes
• 04:07 – 05:45 — Positional contest, competition for spots, “comfort option” debate
• 05:45 – 07:41 — Human factors, incentives, and the importance of depth
• 07:41 – 08:28 — Floor vs. ceiling analysis, program implications

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Conclusion

The episode provides a clear-eyed look at the complexities and opportunities created by Cole Hudson’s unusual eligibility situation and what his return means for Texas football’s offensive line. While there are challenges in balancing competition and stability, the hosts see the return as a positive that sets a solid foundation and heightens anticipation for fall camp position battles.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

It guarantees maybe the Texas is at least a solid at like center and left guard as they were at the end of last year when they found a little bit of footing by inserting Connor Robertson into the lineup at center where he was pretty solid in returns and then moving Cole Hudson to left guard where he was a little more solid. Now that's assuming that Hudson comes back and he's like still in great shape or better or close that he's excited, right? You know, motivated and all that. If assuming the cool, that's the Colatson that we just saw against Michigan comes back, then it's like, hey, at least they have this and potentially better if he gets better, which is not crazy to think that he could get better as being a year older.

[A]

I think the stability matters, right? We did see him stabilize the line by going to left guard. Robertson at center, that's not for nothing. So we have some other guys that we'll try out there. But I do think break glass or to stop the bleeding, it can have a little bit of a factor now, this has been a weird one, Ian, so let me share the screen right here. So about, I don't know, five, six days ago. This is better for our beat writers. So we, the analysis guys, will attempt to explain this as clearly as we can. But there's a Colorado judge that granted a preliminary injunction on the NCAA's five for five rule. What does that mean? 2023 and beyond. You have five years for their five years of eligibility. It cut off in 2022. So players in 2022 that played their four years of their normal eligibility had had to move on Hudson's in that 2022 class. And so a lot of 22, 2022 guys were like, this is not fair. You did an arbitrary cutoff at 2023. So the judge does issue this and says, hey, all those 2022 guys are good to play. But when they first dropped was a little bit vague. We were like, what does that actually mean? They went on to clarify it later that you can't. It's not a portal spree. Meaning that you had to have been in the portal for it to happen. And then they have some weird language here that's still not as clear. See if I can find it.

[B]

Remove schools, you have to have already been in the portal.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

To come back. Oh, you're fine.

[A]

But they say not just anyone can return to school. In particular, student athletes who have pursued a professional path aren't eligible. And we saw that Cole Hudson was like, you know, working out with the Cowboys and stuff like that, too. But regardless, Cole Hudson was also talking, you know, local lawyers, and that seems to have really sealed the fate on his return. But it's definitely a weird situation. It's wild, Wild West. But what we do know is that Cole Hudson is back with the Texas Longhorns. What are your thoughts, Ian?

[B]

Seems like it's basically just once the Colorado judge did this and opened the floodgates for everyone, then the NCAA is like, are we just gonna, like, arbitrarily disqualify some kids and not others? Like, are we gonna fight every single one of these in court? So they kind of got spread offensed into submission on this one. Yeah, it's going to be big. Like, we already saw Indiana got a really good defensive tackle back from last year, Stephen Daly.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

For Texas, this is a little tricky because, you know, returning starter helps stabilize things. Could give you four out of five returning starters back. Is already used to communicating with the guy on his left, Trevor Goosby, and the guy on his right, Connor Robertson, on The other hand line was not amazing last year. If you insert this, like, there was maybe a chance for chasing a better result by incorporating Seymour, maybe moving Kojo inside, just getting one of the other guys better. Sikorsky, Chapman, whoever. You can't do all those things.

[A]

Right.

[B]

There's in any. Every rep that goes to one player doesn't go to another. Limited reps, limited time to figure this out. So there's a part of me that's a little bit worried about giving Flood a comfort option and just one more option to figure out something that has to be figured out.

[A]

It's tough on Seymour too. Right. Because Seymour comes in, he doesn't know the playbook perfectly. Hudson should. He doesn't know the players that well. Hudson will go, hey, guys, how you doing? He's getting to know Kyle Flood. And then Hudson come in with. Give Flood a big hug. So it's like, it does incentivize that like at some human level. And I think I'm a little bit fearful of that as well.

[B]

Also, Seymour is your size.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Hudson is, you know, looks more like a SEC offensive lineman, like six three or whatever.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And we know how Cal Flood loves big people.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Just that alone is going to be. It's gonna be tough to overcome unless Seymour is. Just goes out and is better. Which you could do so that we have like a real battle there now, right?

[A]

Yeah. And I think psychologically you're in a real battle because like I said, just all of those things of having the previous relationships, knowing the playbook, they know what they got with Hudson. And once they stabilize in that back half, it wasn't good, but it got to like, Arch Manning can throw touchdowns. Right. So it's like there's that in the back of their mind too. It's like, well, when we made that switch, the offense worked. So I think there's a lot of that going on. I think the best case scenario I know for the fans are nervous about it as well. Here's the reality. If he beats out Seymour in a legitimate competition of skill, that's not great because we brought it Seymour. But it's still. He would be the better man. Right.

[B]

And so blow to our perception of what was possible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it's good news. And it means the program will be better than it would have been.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Unless it's. Unless it's not. Yeah. Yeah. It has to be a legitimate. Like, I am playing better than Seymour. That's what happened.

[B]

And I am the best left guard on this team.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And it's not that we have this weird fixation with Kojo playing tackle or whatever.

[A]

Correct. So that's what we got to find going through here. But also, it's just the weird world of college sports. Now, I know your rule is the more players you can name, the farther you are from success. But there's also like man o line bodies matter a little bit too, because to me, it's like if he can be that floor setter, like say, God forbid, first string, he's second string and first string gets hurt. Now you're like, I'm glad we picked up Hudson. So I know the knee jerk here is just pure fear that we run back the offensive line that everyone's so emotionally traumatized by. But there are bright side options here.

[B]

Yeah, it. It's not the same if it's. We. We know that we know what Hudson should be. Right. It's not like it's. A position is opened and it's four guys we haven't seen before. And the coaches are like, ah, they're all pretty good. It's not that that's the bad. It's we got this guy that's played at Western Kentucky. We think we know more or less what he is. We got Cole Hudson. We think we know more or less what he is. And then we have young upside options that are either better than that or they're not. So, yeah, this is not the. This is generally good news for Texas. It's going to create some floor and stability. It's going to create drama and intrigue for us in fall camps.

[A]

So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the comments in this video here. Everyone head over to Inside Texas where you can also chat about that post 75 off your first year for new members only. We still love you old members. Link down in the description below by Paul's book Thanking Texas Football. It is the best preview for the Texas Longhorns and our opponents and the wider sec. All right, Cole. Welcome back, everyone. Have a good day. See you.