Michigan State lands former LSU CB Jeremiah Hughes via transfer portal
Michigan State maintained its red-hot transfer portal streak when it landed former LSU cornerback Jeremiah Hughes on Friday. Hughes (6-0, 193) is a former class of 2023 recruit. He spent his true freshman season at LSU but entered the transfer portal this spring.
Hughes was the No. 366 player and No. 43 cornerback in the portal, per the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Hughes, a Las Vegas native, played in all 13 games for LSU as a true freshman in 2023. He played 24 defensive snaps and 181 snaps on special teams. Hughes was a starter on LSU’s kickoff return unit, where he logged six tackles on the season.
A former three-star recruit out of Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman High School, Hughes was the No. 435 player in the 2023 class, per the On3 Industry Rankings. He was also the No. 47 cornerback and No. 5 player from Nevada in his class.
Hughes signed with LSU over offers from Utah, Arkansas, Washington, Tennessee and Arizona, among others, out of high school.
Hughes also received an offer out of high school from current Michigan State secondary coach Blue Adams, when Adams was still at Oregon State. The relationships built between Hughes and much of Michigan State’s current staff during his high school recruitment helped the Spartans secure an official visit, which began on Thursday.
It was during that official visit where cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin and others helped seal the deal. Hughes also took transfer portal visits to Colorado, UCLA and Washington before closing his recruitment, per On3 national reporter Pete Nakos. Michigan State was Hughes’ final official visit.
Michigan State also received a commitment from former Ohio State and North Carolina defensive back Lejond Cavazos this week. Cavazos has one season of eligibility remaining.
Cavazos logged 18 tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups in 2022, his first season in Chapel Hill. He logged three starts in the final three games of that season. Cavazos missed the 2023 season due to injury, but all indications pointed to a return to full health this spring.
Michigan State also bolstered its secondary on Friday with the commitment of transfer portal safety Nikai Martinez, a 13-game starter in secondary last season. The 5-foot-11 safety tied for the team lead in interceptions at UCF last season and ranked fifth among UCF defensive players with 54 tackles.
