Zy’Aire Hughes enters transfer portal

Another promising young player will be leaving Kentucky Football under unusual circumstances.

Wide receiver Zy’Aire Hughes was suspended from the team due to being arrested for assault back in December, and he has now entered the NCAA football transfer portal, according to Derek Terry of CatsPause.

Hughes, who is originally from Paducah, saw his playing time grow over the course of last season. While he only notched on catch and one carry for the year, he was expected to be a larger part of the offensive plan moving forward.

However, due to his legal issues, it seems that a return to Kroger Field was not on the horizon.

“He’s still removed at this point from the football team until he gets his legal matters cleared up,” Mark Stoops said back in February.

Hughes did not participate in Spring practice, likely due to a lack of resolution with his charges. A rising junior, Hughes will be required to sit for a season but will retain two years of eligibility if he transfers to an FBS school.

However, he could play in junior college immediately and then go back to FBS for his senior season. Given his lack of production at Kentucky, that is likely his best option to earn playing time at a school from a major conference.

While Hughes was expected to play a bigger role in Kentucky’s offense next season, there are currently 15 wide receivers on the Wildcats’ roster that are ready to step up and fill the void.

While you have to root for a young man like Hughes to turn his life around, it is good to know that this will not be a devastating loss on the depth chart, as several young receivers emerged during the spring football period.