A career assistant, Tony Hughes has a new title: head coach.
Jackson State hired the 56-year-old Hughes on Monday to turn around a SWAC program that is coming off back-to-back losing seasons.
The 31-year coaching veteran has spent the past seven seasons at Mississippi State, overseeing the safeties and coordinating the Bulldogs' recruiting. He was named their assistant head coach in 2013.
A Southern Miss alumnus and former Marine, Hughes has spent much of his career in Mississippi coaching at the high school and collegiate levels. He has been an FBS assistant at Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Southern Miss.