Juwuane "JuJu" Hughes (born July 19, 1998) is an American football safety for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Fresno State.

Early life and high school

Hughes was born in

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

and grew up in Hanford, California and attended Hanford High School, where he played basketball and football as a defensive back, wide receiver and returner. He missed the first six games of his senior year due to a broken arm finished the season with eight receptions for 175 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown reception. Hughes committed to play college football at Fresno State over an offer from San Diego State.

College career

Hughes was a member of the Fresno State Bulldogs for four seasons. As a junior, Hughes was named second-team All- Mountain West Conference after recording 78 tackles with eight passes defended and a conference-leading four interceptions. He had 80 tackles, seven passes defended and two tackles and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West. Hughes finished his collegiate career with 247 tackles, 28 passes defended and seven touchdowns in 52 games played.

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Hughes was signed by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

as an undrafted free agent following the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

on April 26, 2020. He was waived on September 4, 2020, during final roster cuts, and was subsequently signed to the team's practice squad two days later. The Rams elevated Hughes to the active roster on October 3, 2020, and he made his NFL debut the following day in a 17–9 win over the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. He reverted to the practice squad after the game, and he was promoted to the team's active roster on October 13, 2020. He was waived on January 8, 2022.

Detroit Lions

On January 10, 2022, Hughes was claimed off waivers by the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He made the Lions final roster, playing in seven games before being waived on November 19, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On November 23, 2022, the

signed Hughes to their practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023.

References

External links

Fresno State Bulldogs bioLos Angeles Rams bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, JuJu 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American players of American football Players of American football from Hanford, California American football safeties Fresno State Bulldogs football players Los Angeles Rams players Detroit Lions players Arizona Cardinals players