Photo courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics.
A familiar face is back at Mississippi State as Tony Hughes will rejoin the Bulldog coaching staff as an “assistant football coach.”
Hughes, who spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Jackson State, was on the MSU staff from 2009-2015 as the DB coach and recruiting coordinator. Hughes is highly regarded for his ability to recruit, and in 2015, he was named one of ‘America’s top 10 recruiters’ by 247 Sports after the Bulldogs brought in a star-studded group.
In that year’s class, MSU signed five of Mississippi’s top six players, a group that included Jamal Peters and Leo Lewis. The class was also largely made up of Mississippi players, with 15 recruits hailing from the Magnolia state.
With the early signing period on the horizon, head coach Joe Moorhead is eager to see Hughes back in Starkville.
“Very few coaches understand the landscape of football in the state of Mississippi better than Tony Hughes,” Moorhead said. “Tony has recruited some of the greatest players in Mississippi State history who have gone on to NFL success. He is an experienced SEC coach and has a genuine ability to connect with his players. More importantly, anyone who knows Tony, knows the type of gentleman and mentor he is. He possesses a track record of developing players into men and preparing them for life after football. We are thrilled to welcome Tony and his family back to Starkville.”
MSU also credits Hughes for the recruitment and tutoring of Bulldogs that went on to great NFL careers such as Fletcher Cox, Darius Slay, Benardrick McKinney, and several others.
A news release from MSU doesn’t specifically state what unit Hughes will work with this time around, but it appears that he will be active on the recruiting trail once again.
