SALT LAKE CITY — Jordan Love, Jaylon Johnson, Zack Moss and the other football players from Utah programs who were drafted or signed as free agents aren’t the only ones headed to the NFL via the Beehive State this season.
Bountiful High’s football coach is on his way, too.
Tyler Hughes, who stepped down as the Braves’ head coach earlier this year, has been hired by the New England Patriots to be part of Bill Belichick’s coaching staff, ESPN.com reported this week. That transaction was described as “a notable development” by ESPN staff writer Mike Reiss, who said Hughes could be a person to keep an eye on as a potential position coach and coordinator.
Though remarkable that Hughes is NFL-bound from a high school position, the Salt Lake City native and alumnus of East High and Snow College has had quite the journey en route to New England. Before taking the Bountiful head coaching job in 2018, Hughes had held similar titles at Snow College and Minot State.
Hughes was also a quality control assistant for Urban Meyer at Ohio State in 2013, helping the Buckeyes offensive efficiency and productivity through advanced scouting, film analysis and data analytics.
At Snow College, Hughes served as head coach for two seasons (2011-12) after spending six years as offensive coordinator (2005-10) and one as the wide receivers/tight end coach (2004).
Hughes’ coaching career began at Murray High as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach in 2003. He graduated from Utah State in 2005.
In Ephraim, the Badgers went 20-4 under his direction as head coach, including two bowl game wins and a conference title. He was named WSFL Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading Snow to an 11-1 record and a No. 3 ranking with an explosive top 10 offense. His teams had nine All-Americans and 37 all-conference athletes, including ex-BYU QB Cade Cooper who earned NJCAA National Player of the Year honors.
His bio notes that Hughes excels at player development, which included helping 10 different players make it to the NFL, including Matt Asiata (Vikings), Tenny Palepoi (Chargers), Jordan Devey (Patriots) and Damond Powell (Cardinals).
Another impressive stat: Hughes’ former quarterbacks threw for 20,000-plus yards, 223 touchdown passes and a QB efficiency rating of 158.1 under his tutelage.