In my own words: Reggie Hughes

As a four-star prospect who committed early in the process to the Sun Devils, Calabasas (Calif.) linebacker Reggie Hughes was faced with a recruiting dilemma following the head coaching change in Tempe. How trying was the deliberation process on his end, and what led him to keep his original pledge to Arizona State? Hughes discusses that topic, playing for a rising powerhouse in Calabasas High School and what are his own expectations for his upcoming freshman season in Tempe.

“First time I picked up a football was probably when I was 8 years old and started playing. What I remember from that was making friends and everything. It was good to get out and meet different guys, some who I’m still friends with to this day since I was 8 years old. It’s just really cool to see where they’ve gone from then to now.

“I played offense, I played running back. Mostly everybody plays running back when they’re young. I didn’t make the switch to play linebacker until my freshman year of high school. I just felt like there’s more opportunity on the other side of the ball. You don’t have to wait for the quarterback to give you your plays. It’s really on you, it’s really if you want to be near the ball it’s based on your effort. You can really be in as many plays as you want if you’re just hungry enough. You don’t have to wait for anyone to give you your plays.

“I played my freshman and sophomore years were at Chaminade High School and then I transferred to Calabasas for my junior and senior year. Calabasas wasn’t a big-time program then. They were on the rise pretty much, but they weren’t as big as they are now. I moved there because my mom got a better job and living in Woodland Hill was a far drive. I knew some of my friends and family members were going to Calabasas. I heard they had a pretty good football team so we just moved and transferred to Calabasas.

“When I first got there, we had some coaches come – not really big name coaches, like Nevada and stuff. Now they have a lot of big name coaches. I’ve seen Michigan up there and Ohio State and everything. One of my really good friends, Michael Pittman, is getting a lot of love. So is Johnny Williams. Just to see those guys get a lot of juice and really getting a lot of love from big-name coaches is crazy.

“I got my offer from Arizona State from being on a tour, a 7-on-7 team called ‘Pro-Way,’ … and they were talking to me and showing me love right off the bat and I got my offer from them on that tour. Ever since then, they just kept on hitting me up, always had good conversations with the coaches, always showing love. Then every time I went up there, I fell more in love with it. Every time I went on my unofficial visits, talking to the players, I really got an understanding and feel for the environment. I just really loved it, how it was a brotherhood, like a family. Since day one, they treated me like a family, even when I wasn’t a part of the team.

“I don’t think anyone is really calm when a head coaching change happens. It’s a big deal. It’s crazy. It kinda gets hectic. I was kinda scared and felt like, ‘What’s going to happen?’ and everything. I talked to my mom – always talk to my mom; she’s a smart lady – and she calmed me down and we had a nice talk about it. I talked to some of the coaches on the staff and really was just soul searching and decided if I didn’t play football where else would I go? I looked at all my offers and none of them really, I didn’t want to go to those places if I didn’t play football. I was still in love with Arizona State and stuck with my decision.

“When Herm Edwards was hired I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ I was hyped. I really wanted to meet him and get a feel for what he had in mind for the program. Also, him being a defensive mind, I wanted to pick his brain and get information and see how I could become a better defensive player.

“In my first conversation with him, I saw that he was a very passionate guy, very enthusiastic guy. Knows a lot. Has a lot of wisdom. Knows a lot about football but also cares. He cares a lot about his players and the program. You just see, every single time he talks to them, you get a good feel and a good vibe from him every time you are around him.

“I knew Antonio Pierce from Long Beach Poly. I also knew him from going to different camps. He used to work at a B2G camp – it’s like a little football camp in LA … He also used at ESPN (and) go to the regionals. It was definitely comfortable knowing he was the linebackers coach and a guy that I kinda knew

“He’s the same as Herm. A very passionate guy. Great wisdom. He’s tough love, though. He’s a tough love kind of guy. He’s going to get on you but there’s a reason for it. He’s not going to scream or get on you just to be mean. There’s a reason and he’ll explain why he’s getting on you. I really like that about him.

“Having the chance to sign in December, I feel like it helped, just to get everything out of the way. You make it official so coaches don’t have to keep hitting me up and I don’t have to try and dodge coaches or whatever. I just wanted to get it all finished, get it all finalized so I could focus on Arizona State, focus on my grades, finishing up everything. It just helped me narrow my focus.

“What really gets me hyped up about ASU is the defense. They totally changed the defense. It’s very different than what it was. It’s more adjustable. It’s not standard. They can adjust to multiple offenses. We can adjust to a Stanford offense and then go from Stanford and adjust to an Oregon, high-flying, high-tempo offense. I think it’s very keen that we do it. In the Pac-12, there are a lot of different offenses, a lot of different packages. Being able to adjust is supporting your favor. It’s very creative. I’m ready to be in it.

“I don’t really feel any pressure to produce my freshman year. I’ve been doing this, like I said, (since) I was a little kid. This is football, you’ve been doing this for your whole life. It’s just on a bigger stage. It’s on a bigger level. But I really don’t feel any pressure. All I can ask for is a chance and if you give me that, I’m going to give you my best.

“I’m looking forward to practicing the most. I haven’t practiced football or put on pads in forever. So I’m really looking forward to putting on pads and hitting. Just getting in the football mood. Off the field-wise, getting into classes, really learning, working towards a profession that I want to do if football doesn’t work out.”