Family Motivates Martell Hughes Through The Phone

(Photo: Damon Allred/ Arizona Sports)

The hours before kickoff are defined by pregame habits. Whether through prayer, music, or silent reflection, players find confidence in their personal routines before putting on helmets and shoulder pads.

Each player has their own unique routine. For Arizona State football linebacker Martell Hughes, part of preparation is looking at six words in a gray text bubble.

Ahead of each game, Hughes receives a message from his grandfather. It’s always the same six words: “Make them remember your name.” The phrase never changes, but it always resonates with the sophomore box defender.

“Before every game, that’s what he tells me,” Hughes said. “I have that in my head throughout the whole game and do what I have to do.”

When he first came to Tempe, odds were against him making a name for himself right out of the gate. ASU rarely leans on freshmen as regular contributors, often burying them on the depth chart. This was especially true for Hughes, who weighed just 195 pounds and was still learning the linebacker position. Hughes played safety at Madison High School in San Diego before becoming a Sun Devil.

Despite being a freshman, Hughes saw playing time on defense, primarily on passing downs, as his safety coverage instincts shaped this role. His 269 total snaps were split almost evenly, with 138 defensive snaps and 131 on special teams. On special teams, Hughes made UCF remember his name with a play on Nov. 9, 2024.

Up 7-0 late in the first quarter, the Knights’ punt unit set up at its own 39. After the snap, Hughes split the upbacks, timed his jump with the kick, and reached upward. His hand met the ball, sending it toward redshirt sophomore Montana Warren.

Warren scooped it up and tightroped down the sideline, tying the game with a 46-yard scoop-and-score. A few days later, Hughes earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors, putting his name on the map.

“He was a high school safety so playing in the box was foreign to him. But what was very natural was him running and moving in space,” ASU linebackers coach AJ Cooper said. “Special teams is really about people that have the ability to make plays in space.”

Hughes entered this season 15 pounds heavier than when he arrived on campus. This season, the Sun Devils have utilized him differently, with 29 percent of his defensive snaps coming against the run, up from 23.2 percent. Hughes’ alignment has been expanded as well, lining up outside the tackle on 25 snaps after doing it just twice last year.

Hughes is also shouldering a heavier workload on both defense and special teams. He remains a core special teamer, but his team-leading 15.9 snaps per game is a sizable uptick from 2024. The largest change has come on defense, where he’s logging 19 snaps a game, almost twice his 10.6 average from last season.

“When guys add mass and strength in the right way, they move with more confidence. He’s able to cover more ground and bends better,” Cooper said. “Now, you’re not talking about a 195-pound kid tackling people. 15 more pounds makes a difference when you hit someone.”

An increase in snaps has brought more chances for Hughes to stamp his name on a highlight. And that’s exactly what he did in the final moments of the Sun Devils’ Sept. 26 win over TCU. With less than 50 seconds left, Hughes read the eyes of junior quarterback Josh Hoover, who gambled that Hughes wouldn’t get in position fast enough.

The gamble backfired, and Hughes clinched ASU’s 27-24 victory with his first career interception. Additionally, he redeemed himself after dropping a pick earlier in the game.

“His teammates were on the sideline like, ‘Dude, you’re going to make the next play,’” Cooper said. “I was telling him, ‘You’re making the next play.’”

23 days later, Hughes grabbed another interception against Texas Tech, a pivotal play in the Sun Devils’ 26-22 upset victory. Leading by two, ASU’s offense struggled with capping off drives all afternoon, settling for nine points on three trips inside the Red Raiders’ 30. Hughes’ pick at Tech’s 21 set up a short field, and the Sun Devils cashed in with a 21‑yard touchdown drive.

Before kickoff, Hughes discussed the possibility of getting another interception with senior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott. They were hotel roommates before the game on Oct. 18. In the hotel, they settled on which celebration they’d do together if they were both on the field. The gesture, being a meme that has taken the internet by storm — “six-seven.”

“We were talking about a celebration we would hit if we were on the field together, and that was the six-seven joke,” Hughes said. “We were just talking about that the night before, just having laughs like we always do.”

Hughes and Elliott met during the first team meeting of 2024. Since then, the pair have developed a close bond with each other. For Hughes, it’s a bond rooted in their similar leadership styles.

Elliott and fellow senior Jordan Crook are ASU’s starting linebackers. For a younger player like Hughes, they’re the standard he measures himself against. And it’s Elliott’s leadership style that most closely mirrors Hughes’ own approach.

“Crook is more of a vocal leader, Keyshaun leads through his actions,” Hughes said. “I’m not really a loud guy, so seeing Keyshaun’s actions lead for the defense is how I’ve been able to help out the younger guys.”

Like Elliott, Hughes is enrolled in Barrett, The Honors College. He’s studying sports business with plans to start a sports agency after football. The ambition, like his play, is shaped by his grandfather.

It’s a connection that extends beyond football, rooted in the field of business his grandfather once worked in — and the field Hughes envisions himself pursuing a career in. The same dedication that built opportunity for their family echoes in six words that motivate Hughes on game day.

“He was a businessman. His hard work and dedication set our family up for success,” Hughes said. “He retired from his job two years ago. Seeing how hard he worked, that drive has driven me.”