Makhi Hughes

Makhi Hughes
No. 21  Houston Cougars
PositionRunning back
Class Junior
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolHuffman (Birmingham, Alabama)
College
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Makhi Amir Hughes is an American college football running back for the Houston Cougars. He previously played for the Tulane Green Wave and the Oregon Ducks.

Early life

Hughes attended Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama. During his high school career he had over 2,700 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns. He originally committed to play college football at Appalachian State University but flipped his commitment to Tulane University.[1][2]

College career

Tulane

Hughes sat out during his freshman season in 2022 due to an injury and was redshirted. He entered his redshirt freshman year at Tulane in 2023 as a backup before earning his first start against Memphis.[3] He kept the starting job for the rest of the season and became the first player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards as a freshman.[4][5] He was named a freshman All-American and the American Athletic Conference (AAC) rookie of the year.[6]

On December 27, 2024, Hughes announced that he would enter the transfer portal.[7]

Oregon

On January 7, 2025, Hughes announced that he would transfer to Oregon.[8] After sparsely playing in four games for the Ducks, he requested to redshirt for the rest of the season, which was granted by the team.[9] On January 3, 2026, Hughes entered the transfer portal.[10]

Houston

On January 4, 2026, Hughes committed to Houston, reuniting him with Willie Fritz, his former head coach at Tulane from 2022-2023.[11]

College statistics

Season Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yards Avg TD Rec Yards Avg TD
Tulane Green Wave
2022 Redshirt
2023 14 9 258 1,378 5.3 7 11 67 6.1 0
2024 14 14 265 1,401 5.3 15 19 176 9.3 2
Oregon Ducks
2025 4 0 17 70 4.1 0 2 24 12.0 0
Career 32 23 540 2,849 5.3 22 32 267 8.3 2

Personal life

Hughes is the half-brother of Oregon cornerback, Na'eem Offord.[8]

References

  1. ^ "RUNNING BACK MAKHI HUGHES COMMITS TO APP STATE". 247Sports. August 19, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  2. ^ @HughesMakhi (November 23, 2021). "Please respect my decision🙏🏾" (Tweet). Retrieved March 7, 2025 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ See what Tulane player will get his first career start against Memphis on Oct. 13
  4. ^ Jeff Duncan: From fourth string to finisher, Makhi Hughes has become Tulane's next star
  5. ^ Huge second half propels Makhi Hughes to top of Tulane running back depth chart
  6. ^ Find out which Tulane players won All-American Athletic Conference football honors
  7. ^ Olson, Max (December 27, 2024). "Sources - Tulane's Makhi Hughes enters transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Olson, Max (January 7, 2025). "Oregon Ducks stay busy, land RB Makhi Hughes from Tulane". ESPN. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  9. ^ Uggetti, Paolo (October 1, 2025). "Oregon RB transfer Makhi Hughes to redshirt after 4 games". espn.com. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  10. ^ Crepea, James (January 3, 2026). "Oregon running back Makhi Hughes enters transfer portal". oregonlive. The Oregonian. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  11. ^ Duarte, Gabriel (January 4, 2026). "Former Oregon Ducks Running Back Makhi Hughes Commits To Rising Big 12 Program". Oregon Ducks On SI. Retrieved January 8, 2026.