Meet Hudson Card, the alpha and omega of a new era of Purdue football

It began with a text message and blossomed into a union between a quarterback looking for a home and a new head coach in search of a No. 1 signal-caller.

“Let me see if I can pull-up the text message,” says Hudson Card, scrolling through his phone.

“Here it is: ‘Hudson. What’s going on, big dog? This is Ryan Walters, head coach at Purdue. Holler back when you get a chance.’ “

And so began the union between Card and Purdue.

That was in December. Now, Card sits in the Kozuch Football Performance Complex, gazing from a window out to the practice fields, the firmly entrenched QB1 for Walters’ first Boilermaker squad.

Card is the straw that stirs the drink in West Lafayette after transferring to Purdue from Texas in the winter. He is the face of this new era of Purdue football, the alpha and the omega. Purdue’s 2023 hopes dangle from Card’s big right arm.

“I think he’s got a chance to be special,” gushes Walters.

Card needs to be a cut-above. Pressure? If Card’s feeling it, he’s not showing it. That’s who he is. Sporting GQ looks and an impish smile, Card is a portrait of serenity as he sits in front of you. He’s calm, cool and very collected. And, he’s Purdue’s BMOC. His time is now.

“It’s an honor to be here,” says Card. “It just feels right.”

In the spring, all eyes were on the guy wearing jersey No. 1. And, Card didn’t disappoint, delivering clean, crisp passes. Skinny post, out pattern, fade … bang, bang, bang. And he also showed off his mobility, improvising to buy time and executing designed runs in what’s described as an Air Raid-based offense that’s built more on execution of basic tenets than it is studying a voluminous playbook

“He can do it all, really,” says Purdue wideout T.J. Sheffield.

This is an improbable journey to West Lafayette for Card. He’s not supposed to be here. The plan was to enjoy a prosperous run as quarterback of his beloved Texas Longhorns, a big star on one of the biggest stages in the sport in his home town, no less. The script wrote itself.

It was Hollywood perfect.

The youngest of Doug and Cindy Card’s three children, Hudson Card was all about Bevo while growing up in Houston and then Austin, worshiping at the alter of iconic Texas quarterbacks Vince Young and Colt McCoy.

“He loves Texas,” says Doug Card. “His older brother (Weston) helped make him a fan. And so did I.”

Card wanted to slip on that burnt orange jersey, throw up a Hook ’em Horns salute and sing the “Eyes of Texas” badly. So, when he got an offer from his dream school as a sophomore at Lake Travis High in Austin … well, it was a no-brainer: He committed.

“It was easy,” he says.

But the script got flipped after Card’s freshman year, when Tom Herman was ousted and Steve Sarkisian was hired. Two seasons later, Card hopped in the portal.

“I think (Sarkisian) wanted his own guys,” says Card.

Oregon, Baylor, Notre Dame and Auburn were among the suitors for the former four-star quarterback.

“We had a parade of coaches come by the house,” says Doug Card.

Ryan Walters was one of the nattily attired coaches who showed up at the Card’s doorstep. His bags still packed after taking the Purdue job, Walters flew to Texas and picked up newly hired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, who at the time was in the Lone Star State recruiting for West Virginia. Walters threw Harrell a Purdue shirt, told him to put it on and the duo trekked to Austin to woo Card.

“The first time they came to my house, I think it was like 24 hours or 36 hours, right after Coach Walters got hired,” says Card.

That made Card feel important, like a priority, like a wanted man–which he was.

Card wanted to kick the tires on Purdue before committing. Illinois coach Bret Bielema also wanted Card, who would visit Champaign.

“Who picks us up from Illinois?” says Doug Card. “Ryan Walters. He pulls up to the Illinois complex in his slick black Mercedes and we hop in. The Illinois coaches just stood there shaking their heads.”

Walters continued to make his sales pitch during the 90-minute drive to Purdue, selling his vision as he zoomed by cornfields. Walters and Harrell hadn’t even moved into their offices, so they were checking out their new digs with Card.

“They didn’t even know where they were going,” says Hudson Card.

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There was a breakfast with deputy AD Tiffini Grimes and then a dinner in the Ross-Ade press box with AD Mike Bobinski and other staffers. There also was a surprise: A Face-Time call with Drew Brees, who played at Card’s rival high school in Austin: Westlake High.

“I talked to him for a couple minutes, which was really cool because, obviously, I’ve always looked up to him, watching him on Sundays for a long time and then actually being able to talk to him was pretty special,” says Card.

Card had seen enough. He was ready to be a Boilermaker.

“What Coach Walters is building here, Coach Harrell and everything,” says Card. “I just prayed about it. Felt God was leading me this direction and I kind of just went with my gut feeling.”

Card leans forward, a crucifix dangles from his neck.

“My religion is important,” says Card.

The Cards are god-fearing and close-knit. Doug and Cindy met in junior high and raised three children. Ashley, 32, is the oldest followed by Weston, 31. Then along came “Hud,” who turned 22 in July.

“So, it was like he had two sets of parents,” says Cindy Card.

The family always was on the water boating. If not the water, the Cards were on snow, skiing in Colorado. Hudson tagged along, always on the go in a “Leave it to Beaver” childhood. Cindy was a homemaker, Doug started and operated waste management companies. Life was good.

“I think it just literally made him keep up,” says Cindy Card. “My older son made him do things that I probably never thought he could do. Just him trying to keep up with the two older kids just made him do things faster.”

And there was always a ball around the house. Any type of ball. The games of catch were endless. And, there was home run derby in the living roo.

“Hudson’s mom didn’t like that,” fesses Doug Card. “Hud had this little wooden bat. I’d pitch him Nerf balls and he’d try to hit it to this upstairs terrace.”

Basketball, baseball, football, Hudson played it all … lugging a water jug while often playing vs. older kids.

“From hand-eye coordination and everything else, he just had it at a very young age,” says Doug Card.

The family moved from Houston to Austin as Hudson was entering high school. It was a move based on being closer to the family’s house on Lake Travis, where the Cards often went on weekends to ski. After praying about it, the Cards made the move to Austin. Soon thereafter, Lake Travis head football coach Hank Carter received an email.

“It didn’t come from his parents, which is usually the case,” says Carter. “Instead, it was from the athletic coordinator at Hudson’s middle school. So, that gave it more credibility.

“The first thing he said about him was he is just an awesome kid and a tough competitor. And he also said he’s one of the best athletes he’s ever coached.”

How soon did Carter know Card was special?

“I mean, honestly, I knew he was pretty special probably the second workout just because he was uniquely competitive,” says Carter. “We knew he was going to be a special athlete just by the way he competed and the way that he could move around.”

MORE: FaceTiming with Drew Brees helped sell QB Hudson Card on Purdue | In pursuit of Hudson Card: An inside look at Ryan Walters’ quest for the QB he had to have

A back injury sidelined Card for all activities as a freshman. As a sophomore, Card opted to eschew being the JV quarterback so he could start at wideout on the varsity and be the backup signal-caller to Matthew Baldwin, who would go on to Ohio State and then TCU.

Card excelled catching passes. That fall, the scholarship offers began to roll in … SMU, TCU. Card turned more heads when he filled in for an injured Baldwin in the 2017 Texas 6A title game for a Lake Travis team that also included wideout Garrett Wilson, who went to Ohio State and is now with the New York Jets.

Then, it happened: Texas offered in April 2018. Card’s dream was becoming reality. He pledged the next month to become the Longhorns’ first commit in the Class of 2020.

But after 22 appearances and five starts over three years, Card felt it was time to move on from his Longhorn dream. Texas had added touted quarterbacks in Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.

“I think Coach Sarkisian wanted his own guys,” says Card.

If Card is bitter about his time at Texas, he doesn’t show it. He’s moved on. This is his team. This is his time.

“When we started recruiting (him), we watched every throw he made at the University of Texas,” says Harrell. “Saw some things that were pretty impressive and so you’re like, man, yeah, he’s really got a chance. But he’s been way better than I thought he’d be, especially this early.”

“He’s an elite thrower of the football, and then he’s really athletic. But what’s been the most encouraging is just how quick he’s picked things up, how quick he processes, the way he sees the game from the standpoint of pre-snap. He’s seeing what you want him to see. He’s making decisions you want him to make. We are lucky to have him.”

Card grabs his bag and slips his smartphone into his pocket. He’s gotta go. He has work to do.