Kansas State linebacker Justin Hughes finds motivational silver lining after injury
Put yourself in the shoes of Kansas State linebacker Justin Hughes.
You suffered a torn ACL during spring football practice more than a year ago during an unfortunate collision with a teammate and spent all of last season cheering on the Wildcats while you rehabilitated your injured knee. You gave motivational speeches before games, served as an extra coach on the sidelines and provided advice for any healthy defender who asked for it.
You did all of this while working toward the 2020 season as a sixth-year senior. You were looking forward to returning to the practice field in March, but all spring workouts were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. After all that waiting, there was no payoff. Just uncertainty.
How does that make you feel?
No matter what your answer is, it is probably different from Hughes’.
“I’m blessed to have the opportunity to play again. I am thankful for that, even under the current circumstances,” Hughes said during a phone interview. “I am definitely ready to get back out there. I had just taken one of my final tests and was going to be cleared to play football again as soon as I got back to Manhattan, but that time never came. I’m sure everything will go as planned as soon as I get back there. I will be ready, whenever that happens.”
Few college football players could handle the past year as positively as Hughes. Instead of hanging his head after he was knocked out of spring practice in 2019, he set his sights on 2020. Instead of separating himself from the team, he embedded himself even deeper. Instead of watching games from a comfortable seat, he led his position group onto the field for warmups.
There’s a reason why K-State football coach Chris Klieman has called him “the heart and soul” of the Wildcats’ defense, despite never coaching him in a live game.
“The only thing he didn’t do last season was run out there and play,” K-State cornerbacks coach Van Malone said. “He coached on the sidelines, he coached during the games, he motivated players, he called players out. To have him back and healthy and moving in that direction is vital. He has done a great job so far during this time in terms of leading players, in terms of helping younger guys, in terms of being a guy that younger players can lean on. I am excited to have Justin back.”
Hughes is hopeful college football players are allowed to return to campus soon. He has been dreaming about a successful farewell season for much longer than the past year.
His time with the Wildcats has felt like a slow climb up a mountainside. He spent his first season on the sidelines with a redshirt, didn’t play a snap as a freshman and barely played as a sophomore. Then, just when it seemed like he was coming into his own with 56 tackles as a junior, he suffered a season-ending injury.
But he has found a silver lining.
Hughes is from Tucker, Georgia. So is fellow linebacker Elijah Sullivan. They played together in high school and vowed to reunite in college. Alas, Sullivan was injured for most of 2018, meaning they barely got to join forces on defense. Then Hughes was injured for all of 2019, meaning they missed out on another opportunity.
It seems like they will finally get to form a dynamic duo at linebacker next season after the NCAA granted both of them extra eligibility.
“Everything happens for a reason, and I think this was God’s plan for us,” Hughes said. “We have been talking about this day forever. It’s going to be exciting. We got a little taste of it last spring, playing alongside each other and causing havoc for the offense. They hated us. We were doing really good and building chemistry. It’s tear-jerking to think about us finishing our college careers together as seniors.”
Hughes and Sullivan could anchor K-State’s defense behind all-conference defensive end Wyatt Hubert.
Sullivan is the most talented linebacker on the roster and Hughes is the team’s vocal leader on defense. Neither of them enjoyed missing so much time due to injuries, but they wouldn’t be going out together without them.
Taking advantage of that opportunity is a driving motivator for Hughes. He thinks about it every time he works out while he is in quarantine. He thinks he is in excellent shape and says his knee feels stronger than it did before his injury.
“I won’t miss a beat,” Hughes said. “I have chemistry with our entire defense. We will be ready to roll.”
He is ready to play football again. But he’s also willing to wait a little bit longer.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Kansas State linebacker Justin Hughes finds motivational silver lining after injury."