Prather Hudson Named Safeties Coach For Georgia Southern

1/23/2026 3:20:00 PM | Football

2026 Football Season, Presented by Morris Bank

New hire has 10 years experience with UGA program

STATESBORO - Prather Hudson, who has 10 years of experience within the University of Georgia football program, has been named the new safeties coach of the Georgia Southern football program, as announced Friday by head coach Clay Helton.

"I am incredibly honored and excited by the opportunity to join Georgia Southern's staff led by Coach Helton," Hudson said. "I give thanks to God for the path that led me here and for the chance to contribute to something truly special at Georgia Southern. I'm thankful for the journey and mentors who prepared me for this opportunity: Coach Kirby Smart, Glenn Schumann, Donte Williams, Travaris Robinson and Andrew Thacker. I'm committed to each player's growth and development on and off the field, with a team dedicated to excellence and proudly representing Eagle Nation."

"We're excited to welcome Prather Hudson to Statesboro and to the Georgia Southern family as our new safeties coach," Helton said. "Prather is an up-and-comer in this profession who brings high energy, football intelligence and a relentless approach to development. He has 10 years of experience as both a player and a coach at Georgia, where he learned under Kirby Smart—someone I have great respect for and who runs one of the premier programs in the country. He's worked with some elite defensive backs and understands what it takes to compete at a high level. We're confident he'll make an immediate impact on our defense and in the lives of our student-athletes."

Hudson has spent the past three years working with the highly successful defensive backs room with the Bulldogs, helping coach them to three CFP Playoff appearances and the 2022 National Championship. In his time working with the defensive backs, he helped mentor eight players who were taken in the NFL Draft, including Kelee Ringo, Christopher Smith II, Kamari Lassiter, second-rounder Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith, first-round selection Malakai Starks and Dan Jackson.

In 2022, he was a recruiting and special teams analyst, working with All-American punter and fourth-round draft pick Jake Camarda as well as Ladd McConkey, who was drafted in the second round by Los Angeles as a punt returner and wide receiver. His special teams unit played a big part in the Bulldogs' run to the CFP national title.

For the 2023 season, Hudson's role was elevated, assisting as a defensive backs quality control analyst under the leadership of defensive back coach Will Muschamp. In this role, Hudson created practice scripts with defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and the offensive formation breakdown for head coach Kirby Smart. Ending the season 13-1, the team competed in the SEC Championship and the Capital One Orange Bowl, defeating Florida State University 63-3. In his most recent role with the Bulldogs, Hudson worked as the defensive backs graduate assistant and then the assistant defensive backs coach, contributing heavily to the success of the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In this role, he served as the offensive scout team head coach and assisted co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Travaris Robinson, and corners coach Donte Williams with the defensive back units. He facilitated the onboarding of the playbook with early enrollees through film study and on-field development. Hudson's primary role included leading the scout and evaluation process of potential prospects for multiple position groups, including outside backers, inside backers, and defensive backs. He contributed to the Bulldogs' 11–3 2024 season, highlighted by one of the longest games in college football history, with an eight-overtime win over Georgia Tech, an SEC Championship run, and a College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl appearance. In 2025, he helped Georgia post a 12–2 record, highlighted by an SEC Championship victory over Alabama and another College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl appearance.

Hudson is an elite and proven recruiter with heavy ties in the state of Georgia and surrounding states whose impact has helped shape championship-level classes at the University of Georgia. He played a key role in the recruiting efforts that led to Recruiter of the Year honors for Fran Brown in 2022 and Donte Williams in 2025, serving as a driving force in relationship-building and acquisition of top-tier talent, including five-star cornerback Demello Jones and multiple four-star defensive backs.

Hudson also spent five years as a player for championship-winning head coach Kirby Smart as a running back, defensive back and special teams ace, appearing in 53 straight games. He carried the ball 25 times for 97 yards and also tallied eight tackles on special teams for the Bulldogs. As a player, he was a part of three SEC championship games, two Sugar Bowls, a Peach Bowl, a CFP semifinal and the CFP national championship game. A standout in the classroom, Prather was named to the 2021 NFF Hampshire Society and was a semifinalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, given annually by the National Football Foundation and nicknamed the "Academic Heisman" for its requirements of academic success, community service and on-field performance. He was also voted to the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. After spending his first five seasons at Georgia, he completed his playing career at the University of Illinois in 2021, recording 14 tackles as a defensive back for head coach Bret Bielema and Ryan Walters.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he spent most of his childhood and teenage years in Columbus, Georgia. Prather graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Georgia in 2019 and a degree in sport management in 2020. He earned a master's in recreation sport and tourism in 2022 from Illinois.