All RDL 2024 Coach & Newcomer of the Year

If you didn’t know the name Ahmad Hudson before this football season, you should know it now.

Hudson, the star sophomore tight end for Ruston High, who just turned 16 in November, played past his age and experience, and took off this season by leading the Bearcats in catches (39), receiving yards (754), and receiving touchdowns (6) after just 5 catches in 2023 as a freshman.

He had 100-plus yards in back-to-back games over Stephenville and Ouachita and hauled in 5 catches for 93 yards against Neville as part of a breakout season at tight end for one of the most explosive offenses in Class 5A. As a result, Hudson is the All-Ruston Daily Leader Newcomer of the Year.

“We put a lot of pressure on him this year to just go make plays when opportunities came for him,” Ruston head coach Jerrod Baugh said. “It was strictly about just making big plays because we had quite a few leaders on our football team that held people accountable and knew what they were doing. Now that he’s going to be an older guy, he’ll have to transform and mature as far as his leadership.”

Ranked as No. 2 Tight End in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports, the top recruiting service in the country, Hudson had 304 yards on just 19 catches in Ruston’s five district games – good for an average of 16 yards per catch.

Baugh wasn’t surprised to see Hudson break out like he did this year and still believes there’s more to come from the young star tight end.

“Moving into next year, he’ll have to grow up a little, but he knows that, and I think really likes that challenge to be someone who shows how to go about your work like Zheric (Hill) and Aidan (Anding) did and how you do things in the classroom and outside of school. I think he accepts that, and he’ll continue to grow into that as we move forward,” Baugh said.

Rounding out the top awards for the All-Ruston Daily Leader Football Team is Coach of the Year, given this year to Lincoln Prep head coach Glen Hall after he led the Panthers to a 7-4 overall finish and a playoff appearance after the program won five total games over the previous two seasons.

The Panthers finished with their most regular season wins ever as a school (7) while going 5-2 in district play, beating Cedar Creek, Arcadia, Jonesboro-Hodge, Ringgold, and Plain Dealing.

“I’m proud of the growth and maturity the team gained throughout the spring and summer. This team came together because they spent more time together away from practice and school. They became brothers and held each other accountable,” Hall said. “This is the first team since my first two years that all my players are from the Grambling and nearby area.” Lincoln Prep also had five first team all-district selections this season after getting a single firstteam selection over the previous two years.

Hall credits this season’s turnaround to seniors putting in extra time and wanting to go out as culture changers at Prep.

“They showed the other guys the success of the guys before them and the work they had to put in to become winners,” Hall said. “Plus, our new weight room and locker room gave them a haven to call home.”