When Mac Chiumento jumped in the transfer portal and left for Texas, Florida State had a need for a punter. And the coaching staff had a connection to a portal option: Alex Mastromanno’s long-term friendship with Daniel Hughes.
“I’ve known Mastro since I was born,” Hughes said. “We’re not cousins but we just say we’re cousins because our moms were best friends growing up. I think we are a couple months apart in age.”
Mastromanno and Hughes are childhood friends who grew up in Melbourne, Australia. They both competed at Pro Kick Australia, which helps Australian youth who grew up playing rugby or Australian Rules Football to learn how to punt and eventually land a college football scholarship.
Hughes played Australian Rules Football in 2021 and ‘22 before moving to the U.S. to punt at City College of San Francisco before landing at New Mexico.
“When I was coming to the program he was one of the main guys. ‘Alex Mastromanno is at Florida State.’ All of us would look up to him,” Hughes said. “And obviously he had two crazy years in his last two years.”
Hughes was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist in 2025 at New Mexico, averaging 45.4 yards per punt as well as a 43-yard net average. He said his mindset hasn’t really changed through the years.
“I was already pushing myself at the JUCO where I started before New Mexico,” Hughes said. “And I just bought that to FSU. In terms of pushing myself nothing has changed, it’s just a new environment.”
FSU will hold practices this week on Tuesday and Thursday morning. A third spring scrimmage will take place on Saturday morning.
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