12/16/2020 football Edit

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Signee Bio: DE Henry Hughes

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

Tampa (FL) Tampa Bay Tech High School three-star defensive lineman Henry Hughes has officially signed his letter of intent and is now a Rutgers Scarlet Knight.

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Statistics

• This past season, his senior year, Hughes finished with 38 total tackles, 10 quarterback hurries, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, four quarterback hurries, one blocked punt and one blocked field goal.

• In his junior year, he finished with 17 total tackles, seven quarterback hurries, five tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and one safety.

Recruitment

• Originally pledged to Rutgers on May 15, 2020.

• Chose Rutgers over 15 offers from the likes of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Minnesota, South Florida, Syracuse and others.

Did You Know?

• Hughes works on cars in his spare time and plans to major in automobile engineering.

• Along with football, the Florida native also played basketball and ran track for his high school.

They Said It

• Tampa Bay Tech head coach Jayson Roberts: “They’re getting a kid with an extremely high upside. He hasn’t played a ton of football since he was more of a basketball kid, but now that he has turned on the light and realized football is where his future is, he has bought in and gone 100 percent. He has unlimited potential given his length and athleticism. Henry is one of the best kids you can ask for off the field. He’s a personality kid who does everything right and never clashes with anyone. He’s a glue guy in the locker room and the kid everyone falls in love with. He comes from a technical school that values academics and he’s a great student.”

• TKR Film Analyst Alec Simpson: "Hughes is a very lanky defensive end checking in at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds. He provides a solid level of athleticism off the edge which will really benefit in the Big Ten. Hughes is a long-armed guy on the edge which really plays to his advantage when rushing the passer. His speed at his size is certainly something that definitely jumps out on tape. Hughes is still very raw fundamentally, but provides some key traits to his game that make him a Power Five guy and those are his athleticism, his size, his hand usage on opposing lineman and his ability to pursue the passer quickly."

"At 6-foot-6, it’s not easy to tell someone to play at a lower level at the defensive end position, but it’s needed to be successful at this spot. Once he gets lower out of his stance, there will be more explosiveness out of his get off to really make him that much more powerful to rush the quarterback. With the level of competition Hughes faces, he’s gotten by with his athleticism. In the Big Ten, he will be facing a different beast. Physicality is needed in his game to be successful in this conference and be a dominant playmaker in the front seven. Once that component is added in his game, Hughes will be hard to stop. The physicality to his game will surely be improved with some time in a Big Ten weight room. I would also like to see him be more patient and make some solid tackles instead of the arm tackling you see on tape. He can shed the blockers, then really wrap up his opponent for a full on tackle. Hughes has all the tools in his game to be successful, with more reps and practicing fundamentals, he can really be a force in the Big Ten down the line."