It was a series of unfortunate events that lead Mike Hughes to UCF. Hughes was heavily recruited out of high school, receiving offers from programs like Auburn, UF, Ohio State and Clemson, to name a few. After committing to UNC, Hughes played in 12 games his freshman year but was suspended for violating team rules. He decided to leave UNC and spent his sophomore season winning the JUCO National Championship at Garden City C.C. where he was a JUCO First-Team All American.
Coming out of JUCO, Hughes was originally committed to South Carolina but he couldn’t sign with the Gamecocks because his degree wasn’t completed in time at Garden City.