​With every University of Hawaii football practice, linebacker Ben Hudson’s rustiness eases.He has quickened his movements since joining the Rainbow Warriors in June after a two-year hiatus from the sport. He has displayed the ferocity that had earned him a place on the Stanford football team for three seasons after a standout career at Las Vegas-based Bishop Gorman High School.“My story is crazy,” Hudson conceded, “a little different from any other football player. The last two years, I wasn’t playing any football. I was a regular student. And now I have this opportunity.”Hudson played in the first five games of Stanford’s 2023 season when he suffered injuries to his knee and hamstring. He did not play the rest of the season, nor participate in the ensuing spring training.“At the end of spring ball, the head coach, Troy Taylor at the time, decided to cut all the injured people on the roster,” Hudson said. “I was part of that. I was cut from the team.”While Hudson was not a member of the active roster, Stanford vowed to honor his scholarship through his graduation. A Stanford scholarship is valued at $66,259 a year.Hudson reached out to UH associate head coach Chris Brown, who previously was Bishop Gorman’s assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and strength/conditioning director.As a prerequisite to joining the Warriors, Brown told Hudson: “You’re not going to come until you get your degree from Stanford. That’s the one rule. That Stanford paper is gold. It’s not something that everybody can achieve.”Hudson’s mother agreed with Brown.“My mom put it into perspective,” Hudson said. “She was like, ‘Ben, your worst scenario is some people’s dream to be able to get a degree from Stanford.’ I looked at that, and realized I was blessed to still have an opportunity to be there and finish my degree. Stanford is an amazing school surrounded by smart people all over. It has a great alumni network. It was an amazing experience.”Stanford operates on a quarter system of 10 weeks a session. For his final quarter, Hudson was hired to teach a public-speaking class at Stanford.“It put me in a leadership role,” Hudson said. “To actually be responsible and in charge of others is definitely different for me. I loved the opportunity. I’m actually still doing it (remotely).”This past March, Hudson earned a degree in science, technology and society. Because the Warriors had already completed spring ball, Hudson went back to Las Vegas to train under Bishop Gorman coaches Roy Otis (father of UH linebacker Jamih Otis) and Sheva Branch.“They were filling me in on how he was doing and progressing,” Brown said. “I was taking a shot because he didn’t play for a while. I do know he can play, but he had to get into (football) shape. He proved that.”Hudson joined the Warriors in June. He uses his salary from the teaching job at Stanford to help pay for his UH expenses. His younger brother is a UH student a