Ron Hudson | New Mexico Highlands University

Ron Hudson, who has over 30 years of coaching experience, is in his thirds season at New Mexico Highlands, and second as Head Coach. 

In Coach Hudson's first season as Head Coach of the Cowboys he lead the team to an overall record of 3-7 and a 3-6 mark in the RMAC. The Cowboys posted a couple of marque wins in Coach Hudson's first season at the helm of the program as they beat an undefeated Black Hills State 30-28 and knocked off Fort Lewis College to earn a win on Homecoming. Coach Hudson also raised the team GPA to the highest it has been in recent history after taking over the program when it had the lowest at the University.

Before being promoted to Head Coach at Highlands, Hudson was Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/ Tight Ends Coach. 

Prior to arriving at New Mexico Highlands, Hudson was the Offensive Line Coach at Georgia Southern from 2018-2020. At Georgia Southern, The Eagles saw a massive improvement up front and averaged almost 40 more rushing yards per game with nearly 20 more rushing touchdowns with Hudson leading the way. 

Hudson led his 2018 team from 2 wins to 10 wins, won the Camelia Bowl, and set an NCAA Record for fewest turnovers. During his tenure he had 25 wins, went to 3 bowl games, and had the 2nd best rushing team in America. 

In 2017, he had a stint at Charleston Southern where his Offensive Line continued its strong play where he had guard Frank Cirone earning first-team All-Big South honors and was a preseason All-American. 

Hudson also served as an offensive analyst and consultant at Penn State in 2016 and the Nittany Lions went 11-3 and earned a berth in the Rose Bowl against USC. 

Hudson made an impact as the offensive line coach at Nevada from 2013-2015. Hudson brought experience from 12 collegiate programs to Reno. He helped Joel Bitonio earn first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2013, become the second-highest NFL draft pick in program history and start all 16 games for the Cleveland Browns in his rookie season. In the 2018 Draft, another one of his pupils, Austin Corbett, was also drafted in the second round by the Browns. 

Hudson went to Nevada after one season as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Massachusetts. Prior to that, he served in the same capacity at New Mexico. Hudson spent six seasons at Louisiana, serving as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach during his tenure with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Under Hudson, the Cajuns produced one of the nation’s most dominating running games as UL finished top-15 nationally in rushing offense four times, ranking seventh in 2005 and 2007. The Cajuns were also in the top-15 in fewest sacks allowed on three different occasions. 

During the 2005 Sun Belt championship season, Hudson coached an offensive line that paved the way for a school-record 2,797 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns. UL allowed just nine sacks on the season. The rushing mark was broken two years later as UL topped the 3,000-yard mark in 2007 (the first Sun Belt team to ever do so) with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. 

A national finalist for 2008 offensive line coach of the year, Hudson tutored seven All-Sun Belt performers from 2006-08, including three-time All-SBC tackle Jesse Newman. Hudson came to UL after serving as the offensive line coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville. He coached three all-conference players, including Roy Stroud, who was a Division II All-American. 

Before arriving at Lousiana, Hudson spent three seasons at UTEP. He was tight ends coach from 2001-2002 and then served as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator in 2003.  

Hudson began his coaching career in 1991, with the first of a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Louisville. He coached tight ends at Illinois State in 1993 before spending the 1994 season as the offensive coordinator at Urbana University in Ohio. 

He coached tight ends at The Citadel in 1995 and was the offensive line coach at Lenoir-Rhyne College in 1996 before becoming the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Kent State in 1997.  

He moved on to two seasons as the offensive line coach at Southeast Missouri State in 1998-99 before spending one season at Bowling Green in 2000 before landing the job at UTEP. 

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Hudson was a four-year starter at center at Muskingum College from 1983-86. He graduated from Muskingum in 1987 with degrees and physical education and history and earned a Master’s degree from Louisville in 1992 in physical education.  

He has a daughter, Mackenzie, and two sons, Spencer and David. David was an offensive lineman at the University of Louisiana from to 2018 to 2023.