Ray Brewer
Bishop Gorman cornerback Jeremiah Hughes is pictured with his family during a national signing day ceremony Dec. 21, 2022. Hughes, who will attend LSU, was one of 13 Gorman seniors who signed to play in college.
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 | 4:25 p.m.
Jeremiah Hughes mostly played wide receiver last season for the Bishop Gorman High School football team.
But an injury before the playoffs to one of his teammates gave Hughes an opportunity to play defense full time, or as coach Brett Browner said, “come over to the dark side.”
Hughes immediately excelled at cornerback, and about one year later, on Wednesday, signed a national letter of intent to play college football at LSU. Hughes was one of 13 players from Gorman’s state championship team to sign.
“Whatever is best for the team, I am a football player and was ready to step in,” he said.
Hughes was one of the state’s top defenders this season in registering seven interceptions. He said that becoming familiar with the ins and outs of a new position was made easier because of his background on the other side of the ball.
Hughes also got plenty of practice reps against college-caliber receivers, as Gorman produced a pair of Division I wideouts in Zachariah Branch (USC) and Trech Kekahuna (Arizona). Branch, a five-star recruit, was considered one of the nation’s top prospects.
“We made everyone practice to their expectations,” he said of the competition in practice. “We know how to get what we want out of each other to make each other better, because we know what we want in the long run — to make it to the NFL.”
The position switch certainly elevated Hughes’ recruiting opportunities, as he was slow to initially draw interest and wound up with offers from Arkansas, Washington, Arizona and a host of other notable schools.
The signing day festivities at Gorman included a five-minute highlight reel of plays showcasing the players who signed. Each play seemed to be better than the next, as Browner raved about his senior class that finished with a 14-1 record and victory Saturday in the Geico State Champions Bowl Series.
“Special team. Special players. Special highlights,” Browner said while choking up. “That’s a team. That’s a team. That is what you have been all year.”
Other players to sign include: Quincy Davis and Jeremiah Vessel (New Mexico State); Kodi Decambra (Oregon); Kayleb Ervin (Penn); Palaie Faoa (Boston College); Jonah Lea’ea (Utah); Misiolo Maluia (Utah Tech University); Aiden McComber, Jamih Otis and Elijah Palmer (Hawaii), and Zak Yamauchi (Stanford).
