Hank Hughes

Henry (Hank) Hughes. Is a college football coaching veteran of over 35 years. He has coached Defensive Line, Linebackers, and has been Defensive Coordinator multiple times. He began his coaching career at the University of Albany(1979) as defensive line coach . He would then go on to coach at his alma mater Springfield College(1980)(DL), Northeastern(1981)(DL), Lafayette College(1982-1984)(DL), James Madison(LB/Recruiting Coordinator)(1985-1990), Montreal Machine(LB/DC)(1991-1992), University of Cincinnati(DL)(1993), Harvard University(Assistant Head Coach/DL/Special Teams Coordinator)(1994-1997), University of Memphis(DL)(1998-2000), University of Connecticut(Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line)(2001-2013), University of Cincinnati(Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)(2014),University of Nebraska(Defensive Line)(2015),Lafayette College(2016), Davidson College(LB)(2017), Hampton University(Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebacker)(2018), University of Pennsylvania (Defensive Line)(2018-present)

Hank Hughes enters his third season as defensive line coach with the Quakers in 2020. In his first season, he worked with first-team All-Ivy selection Cooper Gardner and a defense which ranked No. 14 in the nation in sacks per game (3.0). This past season he mentored another first-team All-Ivy selection Prince Emili. The defense finished the season ranked No. 25 in the nation in sacks per game (2.7).

Hughes has spent the 2016-17 seasons in the FCS after spending the previous 22 at the FBS level. After spending 2016 as defensive tackles coach at Lafayette, Hughes was linebacker coach and defensive run game coordinator with Davidson in 2017.

From 1993 to 2015, Hughes coached at the FBS level. In 2015, he was defensive line coach at Nebraska where he helped the Cornhuskers to Top-15 FBS rankings in rushing defense and fourth down defense.

Hughes comes to Nebraska after serving as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for Tommy Tuberville at Cincinnati in 2014. The Bearcats’ defense made steady improvement throughout the 2014 season, holding five opponents to 17 or fewer points during a seven-game win streak to end the regular season. The late-season surge helped the Bearcats earned a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

Hughes spent the previous 13 seasons as an assistant coach at Connecticut, coaching the defensive line for the Huskies throughout his tenure at the school. Hughes was the defensive coordinator for four of his seasons at UConn and was assistant head coach for eight seasons from 2005 to 2012.

During Hughes’ time with the school, Connecticut appeared in five bowl games and won a share of two Big East Championships. The 2010 Huskies earned a spot in a BCS bowl game, taking on Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Husky defenses regularly ranked among the nation’s top rush defenses, in large part due to the play of Hughes’ defensive line, and UConn ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense in 2006, 2008 and 2012.

Hughes’ 2012 defense is regarded as one of the finest in school history with the unit ranking seventh in the country in rush defense, ninth in total defense and 19th in scoring defense. The run defense was also stout in 2011, ranking first in the Big East and fourth nationally.

The Huskies’ 2008 defense ranked among the nation’s best finishing sixth in the country and first in the Big East in total defense at just 278.0 yards per game. UConn also ranked in the top 25 nationally and top three in the Big East in 2008 in pass efficiency defense, rushing defense and scoring defense.

Hughes’ defense helped UConn make a successful transition to the Big East, leading the conference in total defense in each of its first two years in the league in 2006 and 2007. In the Huskies’ first season in FBS in 2002, Hughes’ defense ranked fifth in the nation in pass defense and the top 20 in total defense and pass efficiency defense.

Hughes also served as the defensive line coach at Memphis from 1998 to 2000, helping the Tigers lead the nation in rush defense in 2000. Hughes’ previous college coaching experience includes stints at Harvard, Cincinnati and James Madison among others, and he also spent two seasons in the professional ranks with the Montreal Machine of the World League of American Football. Hughes played linebacker at Springfield College.

HUGHES’ Career Highlights

In two season at Penn they have ranked No.14 and No.25 in the nation in sacks per game. Helped Nebraska finish 9th in the nation in rush defense in 2015. Helped Cincinnati to a co-championship in the American Athletic Conference in 2014 Was part of five UConn bowl teams including the 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl squad Helped the Huskies to a share of two Big East Conference championships (2007 and 2010) Connecticut ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing, total and scoring defense in 2012 Hughes was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in 2009 2008 UConn defense was among nation’s best, ranking sixth in the country in total defense and in the top 25 in pass efficiency defense, rushing defense and scoring defense Helped UConn lead the Big East in total defense in each of first two seasons in conference 2004 Husky defense led the Big East in total defense and passing defense, helping the school to its first ever bowl game Memphis defense in 2000 led the nation in rushing defense and was in the top 15 in total defense and scoring defense