Reginald Hughes Could Be One of the First Portal Calls West Virginia Makes

Here, in just a few days, the West Virginia coaching staff will be on the phone more than your ordinary teenager. They'll be spending much of their 24-hour days talking to players in the transfer portal, fielding their interest, and seeing if there's any chance for a visit.

There's one phone call that probably wouldn't take all that long because of Rich Rodriguez's past with him, and that is Colorado linebacker Reginald Hughes.

West Virginia does need some help in the linebacker room, and if there's any interest on WVU's end in Hughes, there won't need to be much extensive background work done, if at all. They know the player he is, what he brings to the table, and what the standard is.

On Monday, On3 Sports reported that Hughes is expected to enter the transfer portal on January 2nd, and while he'll garner interest from a number of Power Four schools, I'm almost certain West Virginia will be in play. I mean, they'd be silly not to, considering the depth or lack thereof in that room.

Prior to landing at Jax State with Rich Rod and Co., Hughes spent a season at Northeast Mississippi Community College and then two years at Ole Miss, where he saw limited action as a defensive end. In his only season at Jax State, Hughes proved he belonged at the FBS level, tallying 83 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.

This past season with the Buffs, Hughes logged 56 tackles, a sack, and one fumble recovery. He struggled in pass coverage, allowing 15 receptions for 149 yards, with receivers catching 75% of passes thrown in his direction.

He did, however, flash his ability as a pass rusher despite registering just one sack, creating eight pressures, five QB hurries, and two QB hits. According to Pro Football Focus, he had a pass rush grade of 78.4 and an elite tackling grade of 90.0, missing just one tackle all season long.

Hughes will have just one year of eligibility remaining.

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