By LUKE EASTERLING / For The Independent
GRAYSON — Everyone knows success starts with a good foundation.
And when it comes to the building blocks of a brand-new college football program, you won’t find any better than Jake Hughes and Austin Hunter.
Both former standouts at Boyd County High School, Hughes and Hunter spent their senior season of football at Kentucky Christian University as team captains and unquestioned leaders, both on and off the field.
“Jake and Austin have such a great influence over the guys, especially the younger ones,” said KCU coach Zack Moore. “I don’t think either of them has ever had an off day, and that’s what makes them so great. They come to play every day.”
After spending two years at Georgetown College, Hughes transferred to KCU, excited about the opportunity to help build a new program, and especially so close to home. Hughes, who will graduate from KCU’s nursing school, is a fiery competitor that leads by example on the field, as well as in the weight room.
“With Jake, it’s all about intensity,” Moore said of his running back. “There are no in-between gears with him; he’s either in neutral over on the sideline, or he’s full-throttle.”
Hunter, a history major, is known by his coaches and teammates for his reliability and consistency.
“Austin is a player who will always do what you ask him to,” Moore said of Hunter, who played both wide receiver and tight end. “If you throw a ball anywhere near him, he’s going to catch it."
Being able to continue their football careers close to home was a big selling point for both players.
“It means so much to be able to have your parents, family, and friends come out and watch you almost every week, as opposed to them only being able to make it to one or two games a year,” Hunter said. “It’s been great to play in front of the same people that came out to watch you in high school.”
“We’ve gotten so much support from the hometown crew,” said Hughes. “Coming back here from Georgetown, it’s been great to have a lot of the people that watched me play in high school coming to see our games.”
Though each made his own decision to play at KCU, independent of the other, it’s clear that having a familiar face to share the journey with has made it a more enjoyable experience for them both.
And while they may never suit up together again, they both share a desire to coach football at some point in the future.
After wrapping up their careers at Boyd County, Hughes and Hunter would later follow Dane Damron, then head coach of the Lions, as he headed to KCU to lead the Knights’ inaugural football team.
In order to survive as a new program, KCU would have to depend on players like Jake and Austin to stay committed for the long haul. And though the team now sports a top-notch locker room and weight-training facility, those luxuries were absent during the early days of the program.
“We literally started with two footballs, just throwing it around outside,” Hunter said of KCU football’s humble beginnings. “It was just a few of us and Coach Damron, running passing routes and stuff like that. We got dressed in the residence hall where the coaches offices are now, and we lifted weights in the Life Center with other people there and everything.”
But through all the adversity that the young football program has faced, Hunter says it’s all been worth it.
“You learn a lot about yourself,” Hunter says of fighting through the ups and downs of a new program. “There’s been so many times where we could’ve quit and gone somewhere else. But the determination it took to see this through has definitely made me a better man.
“It’s been an honor to me,” Hughes says of being involved in the building of the KCU football program. “It’s a feeling that I really don’t know how to explain.”
And when it comes to leaving a legacy for the future generations of KCU football players, Hughes says it’s rather simple.
“Hard work, dedication, and letting God lead you in your life.”
