Daniel Hughes is expected to be the starting punter at Florida State during the 2026 college football season. He completely transformed his body over the last four months.
The 28-year-old Australian got ridiculously jacked during his first offseason at a Power Four program.
Although it is not uncommon for a college football player to put on a lot of muscle in between seasons, it is a lot more rare for specialists. Whatever they are doing down in Tallahassee is working!
Who is Daniel Hughes?
If you are not yet familiar with the Seminoles’ newest specialist, it is a great honor to introduce you. He is an electric factory!
Daniel Hughes is part of the Aussie wave of punters that went through the ProKick program in his home country. The Melbourne-native grew up playing Australian rules football with the goal to one day make the AFL. Although he got extremely close and played the sport professionally, he never quite got to where he wanted to be. That led him to try American football… in 2023.
It has been less than four years since Hughes first picked up a ball with laces but the transition came natural. He ultimately received the opportunity to punt on the JUCO level for the City College of San Francisco and instantly made an impact.
An impressive first year in the United States gave Hughes the opportunity to transfer up. New Mexico brought him on in 2025. He won the starting job during fall camp. The Lobos didn’t kick often but their 27-year-old punter earned recognition as a Ray Guy Award semifinalist anyway. His first year on the FBS level was a great success.
From there, Hughes entered the transfer portal for a second time. He committed to Florida State in January and will take over as the starting punter in Tallahassee this fall.
Not only can Daniel Hughes kick, he is the coolest looking punter in college football. The newly-minted 28-year-old rocks a bleached blonde mullet with tattoos from head to toe — even on his ears.
Florida State’s newest punter is JACKED!
New Mexico listed Hughes at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds. Florida State listed him at 6-foot-5, 238 pounds. He added three pounds of muscle between his arrival to Tallahassee and the start of spring practice. It might be even more now.
Hughes recently posted a side-by-side photo of his body transformation over the last four months. His brief time working with strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms has really paid off. The Aussie punter cut down the amount of fat on his body and increased the amount of muscle. It’s not like he was fat before but the difference between February and June is very impressive.
Not only is Hughes the coolest looking punter in college football, he is also the most jacked. I know Florida State fans would prefer that their newest specialist never sees the field but, as someone who does not root for the Seminoles, I hope the offense in Tallahassee falls completely flat. I want to see as many punts as possible. He is going to be BOOMING the ball this fall!