On the Plains with Hudson Powell: ‘Learn every step of the way’

Hudson Powell thought his football career was over before it ever really began.

A last-minute decision to return to the sport set him down an unexpected path and the senior transfer long snapper is primed to make a major contribution on special teams this fall.

Powell was in his sophomore year at Ensworth High School in his hometown of Nashville when the COVID-19 pandemic put the country on pause. During this time, Powell, who also played baseball, began thinking about his future and the possibility of playing high school football.

“During COVID, I had plenty of time to reflect,” Powell said. “I told myself I think I might regret it if I don't play high school football, play some Friday night lights. So, I texted the coach and told him I wanted to play.

“From there, the special teams coach brought up the idea of long snapping. He told me baseball players are known to be able to throw the ball back there and at the time, baseball was all I was playing.”

From there, Powell began his journey as a long snapper by watching videos online, eventually learning the mechanics of the position through repetition.

“I ended up watching about every video that's out there on YouTube,” Powell said. “I was basically self-taught.”

Powell quickly ascended at the position and was rated a five-star long snapping prospect by Kohl’s Kicking. This opened a door for Division I football, where he made a connection with current Auburn special teams coordinator Jacob Bronowski.

“I had an opportunity to go and play at Miami (Ohio) University under Coach (Jacob) Bronowski, who I'm playing for here,” Powell said. “He was pretty much one of the only guys who gave me an opportunity out of high school. He saw the vision that event though I might have been behind in reps, my ceiling was high. I could grow into something better than what I was coming out of high school and obviously that gamble of his ended up paying off, and now he gets to have me here in Auburn and we get to run it back for one final year.”

As a result of his outstanding play in the MAC, Powell has been named to the Patrick Mannelly Award Watch list, an award given out annually to the nation’s best long snapper.

For Powell, success at long snapper is not about receiving recognition, but rather mastering the details of a position that allows his teammates to shine.

“I'm totally secure in the fact that no one's going to know who I am and I'm cool with that,” Powell said. “My job is to make the punters and kickers' life as easy as possible. If I can do that, then I've done my job and any accolades that they go on to get is a reflection of me doing my job and I'm super proud to be able to do that and help those guys out.”

During his first few months on campus, Powell has developed strong bonds with starting kicker Alex McPherson and starting punter Hudson Kaak, as they set their sights on making a formidable trio this fall.

“It didn't take long for me to realize Alex McPherson is Mr. Auburn,” Powell said. “He’s an awesome dude and he and I really bonded over the course of the summer, whether that was during workouts or playing golf. It's been fun watching him work and his level of focus and what he does in his craft, which allows him to succeed at such a high level.

“Hudson's my first time being around an Aussie so that's been a ton of fun,” Powell added. “Obviously, he's a big personality as Auburn fans know. He’s such a good dude, caring dude, just someone you can go up and talk to about anything. It's just been fun getting to know those guys and getting to be able to beat up on them on the ping pong table."

The step up in competition to the SEC is a challenge that Powell is embracing heading into his final season of college football.

“I loved where I was at, but I just knew that if there were opportunities to play at a higher level and that's where I want to be,” he said. “I want to be in those big moments. I want to be throwing the snap in a game-winning field goal situation or snapping the ball in a punt to ice the game. Those are the moments I see myself in when I put my head on the pillow every night. I want to be in front of 88,000 fans at Jordan-Hare.”

Off the field, Powell has his sights set on furthering his education at Auburn and setting up his potential career path after his football journey ends.

“I got my undergrad in real estate and then came here and did a business AI certificate and now I'm going to get my MBA this fall,” Powell said. “It's a pretty intense program from what I hear, but I definitely want to take advantage of me having another year of college to be able to get another degree.”

But like every collegiate player, the thought of reaching the next level is still on the table.

“The NFL is the goal right now, but football always comes to an end,” Powell said. “So, one day when that happens, I want to enter the commercial real estate industry. But I think early in your career, similar to football, you’ve got to find a place and continue to grow and learn every step of the way.”