Kansas State’s starting linebackers ready to shine after 7 long years of obstacles
After starring as linebackers at the same Georgia high school, Justin Hughes and Elijah Sullivan had big plans for their time together at Kansas State. They were going to reunite in the middle of the Wildcats’ defense, make bone-stinging tackles and win a whole lot of games the same way they did as teenagers.
That was the plan.
Reality has been filled with more twists and turns than a malfunctioning navigation app.
It’s fair to say their journeys haven’t gone the way either of them expected. Hughes (24) is a sixth-year senior who rarely saw playing time under former coach Bill Snyder and missed all of last season with a torn ACL just when new coach Chris Klieman began trumpeting him as the heart and soul of the team’s defense. Sullivan (23) is also a sixth-year senior who has played throughout his time with the Wildcats but missed most of the 2018 season with myriad injuries just when he was emerging as an impact player.
Medical hardship waivers and redshirts are the only reasons they are still in college. Well, that and their desire to finish their careers as the dynamic duo the way they once dreamed of becoming.
After all this time, they still haven’t started a single game together at K-State. But that should change when the Wildcats open the season against Arkansas State, as both Hughes and Sullivan have been voted captains
“It’s a great feeling knowing that we are in our final year and we finally get to do this,” Sullivan said. “It just always seemed like the time wasn’t right for us. As soon as one of us started playing really well the other one of us got injured. I wish it would have happened sooner, but life has a weird way of humbling you. We’re both grateful for the opportunity. I mean, I get to play next to my best friend this season. What’s better than that?”
High school glory
If life stops throwing them curve balls, Hughes and Sullivan might just get the happy ending they have worked for since they last started a game together at Tucker (Ga.) High School back in 2013.
That was a long time ago. So long, it turns out, that both Hughes and Sullivan were lining up on both sides of the ball. On defense, Hughes played middle linebacker and Sullivan zoomed around the field at the outside position. On offense, Sullivan saw action as a fullback and Hughes served as his backup.
Tucker coach Bryan Lamar can still picture them playing together. Hughes and Sullivan were part of a group of area-based players that enrolled at K-State along with Duke Shelley and Isaiah Zuber. And he mentions them all moments after his phone rings. But his most vivid memories are of his former linebackers.
Who could forget the times Sullivan “absolutely de-cleated” defenders while blocking on offense? What about the times Hughes blew up plays before the opposing quarterback could hand the ball off to his running back?
“They both pretty clearly have resolve, too,” Brown said. “To stick with it and grow as players at Kansas State after all their setbacks and injuries is pretty impressive. They haven’t started together since they were playing here in high school, but I can tell you they are going to play super hard on every play with lots of passion and emotion.”
That’s the way they played when they were part of Tucker’s special team, which was filled with an abundance of Division-I talent. They were good enough to win 14 games and play for a state championship that season. They even beat Deshaun Watson’s high school team in the semifinals.
Hughes tells lots of stories about the way they dominated on defense. They were so good, he says, that they were disappointed if they allowed a single point in the first half of regular-season games. Sullivan suggests you go back and watch their old highlight reels, because they made too many big plays to single any out … even seven years later.
“That was a great team,” Brown said. “Elijah and Justin were a big reason why. I remember Elijah just flying around and making big runs, big blocks and big tackles. He was a little more athletic and faster than Justin was. He was so physical. He punished people.”
“But Justin had a phenomenal personality and could fly around, too. He was great at making plays in space. He was one of our vocal leaders, and just silly all the time.”
Dynamic Duo
K-State fans got to see that side of Hughes while he was sidelined last season. As he recovered from injury, Hughes spent each Saturday as the team’s biggest cheerleader. He gave passionate pregame speeches and helped coach whenever the defense was on the field.
One of his biggest tasks was helping Sullivan learn how to play middle linebacker — Sullivan had spent most of his playing career on the outside. Now Sullivan is back at his normal position, and Hughes is in the middle.
The Wildcats appreciated everything Hughes did last season, but they are glad to have him back on the field.
“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.”
The last time Hughes was healthy, he piled up 56 tackles and forced two fumbles for the Wildcats in 2018. Last season, Sullivan racked up a team-high 65 tackles and snagged an interception.
None of those numbers were achieved while the other player was healthy. But they are confident they can do more together. One perk about their history: They can sense how the other is going to react on certain plays.
Sullivan said there was a moment in practice earlier this month in which K-State’s offense was changing plays at the line of scrimmage and they both knew exactly what to do. Hughes took a few steps forward, Sullivan moved to his right and they converged on the ball carrier before he could pick up a yard.
“Things are working out perfectly for the both of us,” Sullivan said. “We have a connection, and that comes from all the time we have spent together and how well we know our strengths and weaknesses.”
Klieman doesn’t have to worry about either of them.
“Justin is the vocal guy,” Klieman said. “He is a guy that brings energy every day and gets everybody else excited. Eli is a workman. He does his job. You can tell when Eli is on the field because our defense is that much faster. There’s some plays where you think it’s going to be a good gain, and all the sudden there’s Eli and it’s a tackle for a loss, or somebody looks like they’re open and Eli can close ground and get a pass break-up.”
“Both of them are doing a great job. Both of them are excited about playing with each other and they elevate our defense.”
Great expectations
Because of them, some think the Wildcats can improve on defense this season even with a new coordinator and key losses from last year’s unit.
These high expectations were a long time in the making.
It wouldn’t have taken much for things to have gone differently. Sullivan was originally committed to Auburn but switched to K-State late because he wanted to play with his high school friends. K-State briefly removed Hughes from its roster early in his college career before he worked his way up the depth chart. Both players could have easily moved on from football after their injuries.
In the age of transfers, their resilience seem rare.
But here they are, still plugging away toward the dreams they made for themselves as high school teammates seven long years ago.
“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.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kansas State’s starting linebackers ready to shine after 7 long years of obstacles."