Hughes attended and graduated from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, where he played football, baseball, basketball and ran track.
He led the conference, ranked third in the NCAA and set a school single-season record with a 29.1-yard average on 18 kickoff returns.
As a junior, he opened the season as a starter at Wingback , but suffered a broken wrist in the eighth game against the University of Colorado Boulder.
He became the first Nebraska player in 26 years to play offense (Wingback) and defense (cornerback) in the same game (against the University of Missouri), when he was designated the spy safety for quarterback Charlie Ward in the 1993 Orange Bowl.
[2] He ran track for one season as a senior, running the leg of the 4 × 100 metres relay en route to a second-place finish in the Big Eight Conference.
Hughes was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 1993 NFL draft, with the intention of playing him at cornerback.
[3] As a rookie, he played mostly on special teams and only saw time on defense until the season finale, when he was forced into action because of injuries.
Against the Minnesota Vikings, he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, that the Saints won 17–14.
In 1994, the Saints continued the process of trying to convert him into a cornerback under the tutelage of the secondary assistant coach Jim L. Mora, with mixed results.
It proved to be his best season, as he started in 4 games at right cornerback and one as part of a 6 defensive back set.
He tallied 94 combined kickoff and punt returns, which tied him for third-most in league history.
[7] He struggled on special teams and couldn't find a way to contribute on defense or offense, with the Bears trying him also at wide receiver.
[9] On December 4, 1998, he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys, who had their top returners injured and needed help for their remaining games and playoff push.