Seneca Valley offensive lineman Tyler Hudanick had plenty of options when it came to deciding where to continue his football career. As a first-team All-State performer this past season, Hudanick proved to be one of the top tackle prospects in the state of Pennsylvania. His combination of size, athleticism and a non-stop motor helped garner him over a dozen D1 offers and late interest from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ultimately, it would be Hudanick’s long-standing relationship with the University of Central Florida’s offensive line coach Allen Mogridge that played a critical role in the decision to commit to the Golden Knights after a visit to the school in mid January.
“After my Sophomore season, I went to a camp hosted by Temple University and really stood out there, and it happened that the offensive line coach for Temple at that time was coach Mogridge and we hit it off,” said Hudanick. “From there it looked like Temple was going to offer, but then Coach Mogridge left for UCF.”
Though Mogridge had found a new coaching address, he did not forget about Hudanick. In fact, during Hudanick’s junior year, Mogridge would continue to foster their relationship and later that Fall offered Hudanick a scholarship to play for head coach George O’Leary at UCF.
It was during Hudanick’s junior season that offers began to roll in and interest grew, among those who began to get involved in the recruiting process were the two top programs in Pennsylvania; Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh. In both cases, changes to the staff made it hard to find continuity and foster relationships with the coaches.
After being invited to Pitt’s football camp last June, a strong performance led Hudanick to believe that an offer could be in the cards. However, it seems that the numbers game might have kept an official offer from coming.
“I went to the Pitt camp and performed there for coach Chryst, and I felt like it went really well,” said Hudanick. “I felt like we were going to keep the relationship going and big things were going to happen with Pitt, but I really did not hear a lot more other than through the mail. I guess from what I heard Pitt was only looking to take two or three lineman in the class and they had that many committed.”
As Hudanick’s senior year progressed, he made an official visit to the University of Connecticut but did not commit after the trip. It seemed that the more Hudanick heard from UCF, the more it became clear that he would need to take an official visit.
“UCF was really there from the beginning,” according to Hudanick. “Really since coach Mogridge left Temple, he never left my ear about coming to UCF. Though I had some good relationships with some other schools and still wanted to go through the process, I knew that I really liked the school but I still needed to go for an official visit.”
Once Hudanick found the time to get to the campus and spend time with the coaches and players, it was immediately clear that UCF was going to be the choice. “Florida and the weather; sunshine and palm trees in January, how can you not love that,” Hudanick said. “But it really was the coaches that made the difference. Coach O’Leary is not only going to teach me a lot about football, he’s a coach that is going to help me get a meaningful degree.
“Spending time with some of the players, everyone made me feel welcome and I got a sense of what it will be like to be part of the team once I get there. Once I got the chance to spend a weekend with the players and coaches, I knew this was the right fit for me.”
That fit was so strong that even when the new staff at Pitt under coach Pat Narduzzi expressed interest in Hudanick in the days following his visit and subsequent verbal commitment to the Golden Knights, Hudanick never considered wavering.
“Once I committed to UCF, that was the end of it for me,” Hudanick said. “The new coaches at Pitt contacted me right after I got back from my visit but at that point I told them I was solid with UCF and felt good with my decision.”
As for his future with the Golden Knights on the field, Hudanick was told that he will more than likely begin his career at right tackle, but feels he has the versatility to play multiple positions on the line, including guard and even potentially center.
“I want to be able to play any position on the board,” Hudanick added. “If they want me to play guard, I’ll play guard, if they want me to learn to play center, I’ll play center. I just want the opportunity and I’ll take it no matter where it’s at.”
Hudanick understands that Seneca Valley has quickly gained a reputation for turning out top offensive lineman. In fact, it currently has two players who are starting offensive lineman in the NFL; Packers right tackle Donny Barclay and Minnesota Vikings guard Brandon Fusco both have had stellar professional careers after starring at West Virginia and Slippery Rock, respectively.
Could Hudanick possibly be the next SV Raider to carve out a path the NFL stardom?
“Both guys are role models, and I would love to follow their path obviously and hopefully end up being where they are at some point in my life,” according to Hudanick.
Whether that long-term goal is attained further down the road, the opportunity to get a first-rate education is not something that Hudanick overlooks. Though the NFL is the ultimate goal, Hudanick plans on pursuing a degree in Health Sciences and then hopes to attend Physical Therapy school.
“UCF has a top-rated Physical Therapy school and I think it’s something i’d love to do in the future,” Hudanick said.
