University of New Mexico punter Daniel Hughes has become one of the main faces of the program through his social media platforms and his unique journey.
Coming to the United States from Australia last season to play football at City College of San Francisco, he’s since moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to continue his career for the Lobos.
Hughes was one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award, which honors the best punter in college football, presented by the Augusta Sports Council. Hughes is the third Lobo punter to become a semifinalist for the award. Some highlights from Hughes’ 2025 season include a 51-yard punt to the one-yard line against Utah State, which set up a safety, and a 36-yard punt to the two-yard line against UNLV that helped secure a win.
He had eight punts travel over 50 yards, with a season-long of 64 yards at San Jose State. This season, Hughes is averaging 46.2 yards on 24 punts with only one touchback. Ten of his punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line, including seven inside the 10.
While living in New Mexico, Hughes has noticed a few crucial differences between living on the coast and in the mountain west. These differences include the drastic elevation change from sea level and the absence of white-sand beaches in New Mexico, Hughes said.
Hughes also said, “Not being around family and friends, that gets tough sometimes.”
Hughes said that some of his favorite things about attending UNM come from the football program.
“Couldn’t ask for anything more, love the people around me” Hughes said.
Hughes has built an online presence that invites people into his life, sharing his experiences as a student-athlete at UNM through videos he posts on Instagram and TikTok, including ‘A Day in the Life’ clips, travel videos from away games and game-day vlogs. Hughes has garnered over 26 thousand followers on Instagram and over 12 thousand followers on TikTok.
Hughes is looking to the future and seeing what it may hold as he wants to turn his NFL dreams into a reality, he said.
“I’d love the Dolphins to pick me up, but the reality is, if a scout gives you a contract, you take it,” Hughes said.
Elizabeth Bolke is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
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