Mississippi State Senior Tribute: Jay Hughes

Oct 11, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Jay Hughes (3) returns an interception up the field against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Leader of the defense: Jay Hughes.

Strong Safety Jay Hughes is a team captain, and he leads by example. His father is Safeties coach and recruiting coordinator Tony Hughes. He plays like a coach’s son: smart.

Newcomers to the MSU bandwagon would never know Hughes tore his Achilles tendon last year, because he hasn’t seemed to miss a beat this fall. In the first quarter of the first game vs. Oklahoma State he went down for the year. It was a terrible injury for someone so important to the team. If he would like to, he could probably get a medical redshirt and play again in 2015.

He has started every game this year at Safety with 21 tackles and two interceptions. Against Southern Miss he ran back a blocked field goal for a touchdown. For his career, Jay has 65 tackles, four passes defended and two INTs.

Jay Hughes also plays guitar. In fact, his twitter handle is “j30playsguitar”. Here’s a video of him playing…

Good ‘ole Jay Hughes. Everybody loves him. Thanks for playing in maroon and white!