Hughes was born in Newark, Ohio and grew up in Heath, Ohio. He joined the Columbus Crew academy in 2013, going on to play at every level of the academy, including two seasons as captain and was named academy player of the season in 2018.[1]
In 2019, Hughes attended Stanford University to play college soccer. Over four seasons with the Cardinal, Hughes made 73 appearances, missing only a single game, scoring eight goals and tallying seven assists. His college accolades include been a Pac-12 champion in 2020, First-Team All-American, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Mac Hermann Trophy Finalist in 2022, and was named three times to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.[2][3]