Penn State football transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson made the move cross country this offseason, and he’s finding the Nittany Lions to be exactly what he expected.

The receiver transferred from USC in December, quickly garnering hype for his one-handed catch against LSU in the first game of 2024. Now, after going through almost all of spring practice, Penn State has not disappointed Hudson.

“It’s truly a brotherhood. Since the first day I got in here, everybody’s been there, everybody speaks to everybody. It’s truly a brotherhood,” Hudson said. “And just being able to grow together and have faith with each other is truly a blessing.”

Hudson had schools from all over the country reach out when he entered his name into the transfer portal. The wide receiver said it was a blessing to have so much interest, and he relied on his family to help him through the process.

“Penn State is just a school that everybody wants to go to, and having the opportunity to come here, it’s always been a school that I wanted to go to,” Hudson said. “So it’s cool to be able to play here and play with my new brothers.”

The Santa Ana, California, native said that he loved how traditional the Penn State program was. Coming from Mater Dei, Hudson is used to a long lineage of respect. The Nittany Lions were the perfect fit.

Another reason for the transfer was Penn State’s wide-open receiver room. After the 2024 season, Trey Wallace, Julian Fleming, and Omari Evans all left. Not only was there no set No. 1 wide receiver, there wasn’t a No. 2 or No. 3 either.

“You always, as a receiver, want to be that guy, right?” Hudson said. “So just having the opportunity to come here and establish and be the player that I know I can be, definitely eye-opening.”

Hudson’s first run-in with the Nittany Lions came in the 2024 matchup in Los Angeles. Penn State won in overtime thanks to Ryan Barker’s game-winning field goal, but the then-USC receiver was left with an impression of Drew Allar and the whole team that stuck with him until he decided to come to State College.

“I was sitting on the other side of the field and just seeing him, I knew that he could throw,” Hudson said. “Just now being here and practicing with him every single day, and getting this chemistry, getting this time, it’s truly cool to see firsthand.”

Hudson’s chemistry has been built with Allar on and off the field. The receiver said he has made a point to be with the senior quarterback every day, whether that’s on the field putting in extra work or just hanging out outside of football.

Another relationship the former USC player noted was that with fellow transfer Devonte Ross. They both joined the program this offseason, with the same goal: to improve the wide receiver room.

“D-Ross, that’s my guy, we came in here same time. We’ve been with each other every single day. I mean, just being able to learn from each other and then learn with the brothers we have,” Hudson said. “And so it’s definitely a blessing to be in this receiver group we have because there are so many different talents, and we can’t wait to showcase them.”

So far, the two transfer receivers have impressed coaches and teammates. With that, though, come expectations. There’s no time for Ross and Hudson to take a year to acclimate. They have to be ready now.

“The biggest thing is that our expectation for him and Kyron as a staff coming in as a new guy was to not have entry-level expectations in terms of understanding what we’re doing offensively in the playbook,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “And those guys have done a great job catching themselves up.”

The receiver hasn’t just impressed with his knowledge of the playbook. Hudson came to the Nittany Lions as a physical pass catcher. One of his best attributes is his ability to catch the ball even when covered.

Hudson thanks his brother for this. Growing up, he was always the smaller and younger brother playing in the backyard and needed to get creative to catch the ball. His solution: magnets for hands. Last season with USC, Hudson was targeted 64 times and didn’t drop a single pass.

“He’s such a big and physical receiver… In this league that’s so necessary,” Kotelnicki said. “With the aggressive secondaries that we play, he’s done a fantastic job of being that physical person, and again, super impressed with his football acumen.”

Hudson will be able to flash his football acumen and talent to his family again this season. Although this will be the first time in his life playing away from California, the receiver said his family will continue to come to games, most likely once a month, and will be in attendance for Penn State’s Blue-White Game.