Tyler's Tomahawk

Klein Oak’s Tyler Hudson’s monster dunk goes viral

Hudson’s dunk video was tweeted out by the SportsCenter account. vype.com

HOUSTON – Klein Oak’s Tyler Hudson doesn’t practice dunking.

The four-star Panthers wide receiver – who has an offer from Harvard University –  also stars on the basketball team and in the midst of Klein Oak’s 80-72 overtime victory against Spring on Tuesday nearly broke social media with his highlight reel dunk.

In the video, originally posted by Klein Oak Principal Thomas Hensley, Hudson is seen launching from just inside the free throw line and flying high above the rim for the one-handed tomahawk slam.

“Yes I’ve seen the video and I can’t stop watching it, and it’s easily my best dunk of my career,” Hudson said. “I’m still in shock, I can’t believe this is happening.”

WATCH DUNK HERE

 

In the first four hours since posting the video to Twitter, Hensley’s tweet had been viewed 17,700 times and retweeted 383 times.

As fans started seeing the monster dunk, the hashtag #SCTop10 started being used in comments on the tweet, retweets and new tweets about the play to try and get the attention of SportsCenter.

The social media campaign worked.

At 11:21 p.m. on Tuesday night, Hudson’s dunk video was tweeted out by the SportsCenter account. In the first hour, the video was viewed 220,000 times and retweeted 2,850 times.

“This is amazing,” Hudson said. “After SportsCenter tweeted it out and posted it on Instagram, I’ve received a lot of love from my family, friends and fans, and I’ve received a lot of followers in the last hour.”

Admitting that he doesn’t practice dunking a lot, only doing a few during practice, the question comes to mind of how did Hudson know he would make it from that spot on the floor?

“Yes I know I can jump from that far because In my first game back from football I tried to dunk a ball from farther back and hit the back of the rim,” Hudson said. “In the Klein game I almost did the same thing I did tonight from further back but I hit the back of the rim again.”

This night wasn’t just special because of Hudson’s highlight reel dunk that made SportsCenter.

It truly was a special night for the entire Klein Oak community as it watched its Panthers basketball team in a playoff game for the first time since 1994.

To have this happen on the same night the Panthers ended a 24-year playoff game drought, Hudson said he couldn’t have written a better script.

I thought it was a really special moment for Klein Oak,” Hudson said. “To be in the playoffs for the first time in 24 years and to make that type of highlight dunk just made the moment even more special and one to remember.”

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Keep an eye on Tank Dell this Sunday. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.

I remember thinking how in the world can these little frail guys survive at the NFL level? I mean, I saw Joe Theismann and Ed McCaffrey's legs snap. Drew Bledsoe got his chest caved in. Seeing 300-plus pound men cry when injured is humbling. So when a guy like Tank Dell comes along, I'm always a bit apprehensive. Especially when they come with a ton of hype.

For every eight to ten big strong players that get hurt, there's one or two little fellas that have relatively healthy careers. The comp that came to mind when looking at Tank was DeSean Jackson. Listed at 5'10 and weighing a heavy 175 pounds, Jackson was arguably the best “small guy” in NFL history. Dell being about two inches shorter and about ten pounds lighter, while also playing a similar role, is in line to be a similarly electrifying type of player. I put my assessment on the line and doubled down with my predictions on what his, and others' season totals will look like last week:

Tank Dell: 68 catches, 1,105 yards and 6 touchdowns- Dell will be a really good slot, but has some outside skills. Namely, his speed. He's more slippery than if Mick had greased that chicken before Rocky tried catching it. I could see his production going up as the season gets longer because Stroud will begin to look for him more and more as they build chemistry. Yes, I know I only have him with six scores. Keep in mind this is a run first offense. At least that's what we can deduce from looking at where it came from in San Francisco.

In his debut game last week vs the Ravens, he notched three catches for 34 yards on four targets. He was tied for third on the team in targets with Noah Brown and Mike Boone. While Robert Woods and Nico Collins were one and two in targets last week, I think Dell will ascend that list starting this week. Word came down that Noah Brown is headed to IR, meaning he'll miss at least the next four weeks. The chemistry he and fellow rookie C.J. Stroud have developed is palpable. From working out together, to attending UH games together, these two seem to have a nice bond already.

Woods is a solid vet two years removed from an ACL injury. Collins was a third rounder with size who hasn't done a whole lot. Dell is easily the most exciting option at receiver this team has. John Metchie III was expected to be the next guy up. Unfortunately, cancer had him take a backseat, until now. Metchie is back at practice this week, so a debut is imminent. He could potentially challenge for more playing time, but it may take him some time to get used to things and get going again.

As far as my statistical prediction for his season, he only needs to average four catches for 67 yards per game, and get a touchdown every two to three games for the remainder of the season. Given Brown being out the next few games, Metchie not quite being up to speed, Woods being an older player on a short-term deal, and Collins not really being what everyone thought he could be, it leaves things wide open for Dell to step up.

Playmakers come in all shapes and sizes. Levon Kirkland was a 300-pound middle linebacker in a 3-4. Doug Flutie led teams to playoff wins as a 5'9 quarterback. In football, size matters. The bigger, stronger guys normally win out. When it comes to receiving and returns, you want speed, quickness, and agility. Dell has that in spades. Add his competitive nature and chemistry with his quarterback and you have a recipe for a star in the making. I know I'm not the only one hoping the Texans continue Tank-ing.

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