KSO Roundtable: What it means to have Justin Hughes back

A fun series that KSO will undertake during our Kansas State season preview series that began this past Monday, June 15 (first day of voluntary football workouts), is the KSO Roundtable.

I'm very appreciative of the answers and willing participation from KMAN's John Kurtz, Mitch Fortner and Mason Voth, as well as regular site contributors ksu_Fan and Chris Nelson.

The series will be two times a week, Wednesday and Sunday, and tackle the pertinent topics and storylines of the season and we'll each share our thoughts.

Enjoy!

CHRIS NELSON: I will preface this by saying I like Justin Hughes as a player and a leader. Kansas State played three linebackers last season and lost one of them, so obviously Hughes will play a significant role this upcoming season. However, I do think that Elijah Sullivan and Daniel Green have more raw ability than Hughes, which will allow them to make more of the splash plays. If Hughes is completely healthy and has full confidence in his knee, I expect him to have a solid season. At the end of the day, it would not surprise me if he was K-State's third-best linebacker.

DEREK YOUNG: Assuming that he is fully recovered, he's fully healthy and Justin Hughes has immense confidence in his knee, I think he can have a huge impact. It is much easier to lead from the field than it is the bench, as Grant Flanders said on last Friday's KSO Show. He'll be a great leader no matter what, but it is just more effective when you're on the field. Additionally, he was very good the last time we saw him play, Chris Klieman called him the heart and soul of the defense before the injury and Scottie Hazelton raved about his football IQ. All that still means something to me if he can really play without fear.

GRANT FLANDERS: This one depends on if he's actually "back" 100 percent or how close he can get to being the old Justin Hughes. I do think Hughes has the drive to be that good, still, and there's been rumblings that he's coming along better than a lot of guys who suffer that same injury. We won't know until we see it on the field, but if he can get close to what he once was, I think he will make a giant difference and boost this defense even more than what he could do from the sidelines. Hughes will always be a leader for this team, but if he can perform on the field, his leadership will shine as bright as ever.

JOHN KURTZ: Getting Justin Hughes back in 2020 should be a major boost, both physically and mentally for the K-State defense.

There’s a surefire emotional edge that the Wildcats will feel immediately. Chris Klieman already referred to Hughes last spring as the “heart and soul” of the defense before he tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in spring practice. Hughes could always be found giving fiery, impassioned speeches to his teammates before kickoff last season.

The time off has given Hughes ample opportunity to learn the defensive scheme inside and out, assuming that it stays relatively the same this year with Joe Klanderman.

That should pair nicely with the skillset we saw emerge over the second half of the 2018 season when Hughes finished third on the team in tackles despite starting only seven games.

Frankly, that was with a coaching staff reluctant to play him as much as they should have. Hughes now has a staff that is the antithesis of that and believes tremendously in him. He could be in store for a Skylar Thompson-level jump because of the change in attitude from the coaches.

By the time K-State takes the field against Buffalo on September 5th, it will have been 651 days since Hughes played a football game for the Wildcats, and he’ll be coming back from major knee surgery. Still, my money is on Hughes maintaining his Klieman-appointed role of “heart and soul” of the defense effectively.

KSU_FAN: Justin Hughes will be a huge addition to the K-State defense. As a sophomore, Hughes was not only third on the team with 55 tackles, but he was also fourth in havoc plays (tackles for loss, pass break ups, interceptions, and forced fumbles) with 9. By comparison, this year Wyatt Hubert lead the 'Cats in havoc with 12.5, followed by A.J. Parker with 10.5 and Elijah Sullivan with 10. Having a pair of linebackers with experience and playmaking ability will be a very nice pair of pieces for Klanderman's defense in 2020, especially when Kansas State's new defensive coordinator says he would like to be a little more aggressive this season. Hughes also proved to be a key leader in his injury redshirt season.

MASON VOTH: I think his biggest impact will be as an emotional boost to the team. It is evident when other guys on the team speak, whether it is coaches or players, that Justin Hughes means a lot to the team as just a guy in the program. A week ago, we had this discussion on The Game. I don’t know that he is some enormous difference maker on the field this season. It undoubtedly helps the team to have him on the field and prevent some lower level guys on the depth chart from seeing the field. I am just skeptical that a guy that sat out a year and had played on an inconsistent basis up to the 2018 season, will be able to get back into a season and be a major contributor on defense. Especially in a year where we still don’t know what the everyday schedule for college football players will look like in a world that is still dealing with COVID-19 (sorry for sending this to the World Forum already).

MITCH FORTNER: I feel bad for Justin Hughes. Because of his ACL injury, the sixth year linebacker will have to wait about 20 months to truly start his senior season. The potential impact 2020 has with the return of Justin Hughes relies on how hungry he is to make a lasting impact his senior year. There are multiple ways Hughes can make a difference. Klieman is about depth and rotating guys, frequently. Obviously, Hughes adds to that. That dude knows how to tackle. K-State needs to get better at tackling and Hughes is one of the best form tacklers on the team. Finally, Hughes was someone last year that gave passionate speeches in the locker room before games. Expect that vocal passion to transition into vocal leadership on the field.