Keonte Hughes

Keonte Hughes
(Montreal Royal, Wide Receiver)
Player ID #1150
Montreal Royal
Jersey #	89
Gender	Male
Species	Leopard - Savannah River
Details
Height	6.42 feet (1.96 m)
Weight	212 lb (96 kg)
Throws	Right
Hometown	Palm Beach, FL, USA
College	Savannah River
Career Info
Draft	2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th
Drafted by Montreal
Years Pro	2
Awards	2018 United Pro Bowl Team

Keonte Hughes is a Wide Receiver for the Montreal Royal in the UFFL.

Biography

Growing up in Palm Beach, Florida, Keonte Hughes has not had the easy life as seen along the coastline, but he and his family were lucky to not be forced to live in the squalor and poverty of the infamous “West Palm.” He is eight minutes younger than his sister, Kiara, and from the moment he was born, the competitive fires have burned hot within the Hughes twins. Keonte’s father was a physical education teacher at a local middle school, and encouraged his cubs to participate in all manners of sports from an early age. While Kiara took to gymnastics, soccer and basketball, Keonte proved to be apt at baseball, soccer and basketball as well. But he wanted to play football more than anything, despite the objections of his mother who was afraid that he would get hurt. After begging and pleading with his mother for what seemed like an endless amount of time, Keonte was finally allowed to join his local Pup Warner team at age 10.

From there, the young cat discovered his true calling. Keonte was his team’s starting quarterback and a defensive end, while also taking snaps at running back and returning kicks, and he also handled his team’s kicking and punting duties due to his soccer background. At age 12, a freak injury where he broke his collarbone after being tackled confirmed his mother’s fears, and he didn’t take another snap until he got to high school. While he wanted to try out for quarterback, the head coach convinced Keonte to switch to receiver as there were already four players at that position. It proved to be the right decision for him as he made the varsity team and had 34 receptions in nine games, making the county All-Freshman team as a receiver and kick returner. After growing into his 6-foot-5 frame between 10th and 11th grade, Keonte’s game took off, and he helped lead his school to the state playoffs. Despite not making it out of the semifinals, he garnered a lot of attention from college scouts. Keonte wanted to go to Florida Feline University, with its excellent football program and close proximity to home. But even with his accolades, the coaches at FFU could not guarantee that he would get the playing time that he wanted, even after a redshirt year to get acclimated with the program. It was twin sister Kiara who came to the rescue and convinced him to come with her to Savannah River, where she would be playing basketball and pursuing her degree in criminal justice. Not only did Keonte make the team, he got a considerable amount of playing time as a true freshman and even had two touchdowns.

But he was just getting started. Keonte would grow even further as a receiver, and by his senior season had already eclipsed many of the school’s receiving records. Critics would assail him by saying that he came to Savannah River in the midst of a coaching change and offense upheaval, where they were shifting from a run-heavy scheme to a more passing-oriented one. Keonte would silence those who doubted him by catching 86 passes for 1,509 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2017, all of which were single-season records at Savannah River...and that was with nine dropped passes, most of them a result of him thinking about turning upfield before bringing in the ball. However, Keonte said in a recent pre-draft interview that his proudest moment at Savannah River was the moment that he received his degree in sociology alongside his sister. He is eagerly awaiting his chance to play in the UFFL, while hoping that Kiara, a standout guard on the basketball team, is drafted to the FBA as well.

Evaluation

4 Stars. One of the best verticals at the rookie combine. Combination of size and speed. Came from an excellent program, Height and weight making him a big threat at wide receiver, driven and dedicated. Keonte can be a great possession receiver as he has the body, plus leopards are generally great jumpers. My questions are can he keep his focus, and will he let his sibling rivalry get the better of him? Any team needing a good option for a No. 2 WR should definitely look at Keonte.

Contract Info

Player Manager	Lazarus Otter
Salary (per year)	$4000000
Exp. Date	May 1st, 2024

Statistics

Career

Regular Season					Receiving								Rushing
Year	Team	G	W	L	Rec	Yds	Yds/Rec	Long	20+	40+	TD	Fum	Att	Yds	Yds/Rush	Long	TD
2018	MTL	15	7	9	51	1071	21	87	21	7	11	0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	MTL	16	9	6	77	1498	19	68	25	11	11	0	0	0	0	0	0
2021	MTL	14	7	7	67	1267	18	76	17	10	13	0	0	0	0	0	0

Records

Game Records
Record	Season	Week	Team	vs. Team	Value
Catches	2019	4	MTL	NOC	8
ReceivingYards	2019	15	MTL	RIC	159
ReceivingTouchdowns	2018	7	MTL	NFR	3
LongestCatch	2018	2	MTL	EAS	87

Playoff Records
Record	Season	Team	vs. Team	Value
Catches	2019	MTL	NSH	5
ReceivingYards	2019	MTL	TEX	118
ReceivingTouchdowns	2019	MTL	NSH	2
LongestCatch	2019	MTL	TEX	46