JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nate Hughes has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Alcorn State University.

But even though he graduated in May 2007, he hasn’t put that degree to use.

Instead, he lifts weights and runs every day — and he gets paid for it.

Hughes, a former wide receiver and return specialist for the Braves, signed a two-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in December after five weeks on the teams practice squad.

But he hasn’t played in a game yet and said he still feels the need to prove himself to the rest of the team.

“It’s kind of like being back in college to me,” Hughes said. “When you graduated from high school and went to college you were playing with players that were the best ones at their high school. Now you just have to prove yourself all over again. Everybody here was a really good college player. You have to rise up against that and get on their level and compete.”

Hughes, a four-year starter for the Braves, led the team in receiving with 26 receptions for 569 yards and five touchdowns in his senior season in 2007.

As a return specialist, the Macon native led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in all-purpose yards with 160.6 per game and had one punt return for a touchdown.

Hughes said, surprisingly, NFL practices have been a little easier than college workouts.

“The practices are a whole lot shorter,” he said. “They don’t teach you the fundamentals anymore. By the time you’re in the NFL, you either got it or you don’t. If you don’t, they aren’t going to bother with you.”

Hughes’ speed has been a great asset as well. He qualified for the NCAA Regionals three times in the 400-meter hurdles event.

Hughes will be competing for a starting spot as either a return specialist or a receiver, and wide receivers coach Todd Monken said he has a good shot at either position.

“He’s done everything possible to give himself a chance to compete come fall,” Monken said. “He’s worked hard to learn what we do on offense and on the practice field. He’s put himself in the position to compete for a roster spot.”

Hughes’ start in the NFL was a whirlwind.

He was picked up as a free agent by the Cleveland Browns and then worked out with the Kansas City Chiefs before the Jaguars got a hold of him.

He said Jacksonville called and told him they had scheduled a flight for him to meet with the staff.

“I live in Macon, and the nearest airport was two hours away. They told me I had two hours to get on that plane,” Hughes said. “I said, ‘I got to catch that flight.” I was flying down the highway. The only things I had time to pack were two pairs of underwear, two pairs of shorts, two pairs of jeans and some T-shirts.”

Now in the offseason, Hughes works out and prepares for the start of organized team activities (OTAs) and summer camp.

Hughes is also working on dispelling a myth he’s been facing since he started college.

“The stereotype that comes with coming out of a small school, a lot of people think you can’t compete with the kids that went to a larger school,” he said. “I want to show that you still can play with the big guys even if you went to a small school.

Hughes had scholarship offers from LSU, Ole Miss and Cornell, among others, but chose Alcorn State because nearly everyone in his family has gone there.

And his parents, both Alcorn graduates, are more proud of that choice than anything he’s done athletically.

“Football, that’s all well and good, but the best thing to me in everything that he’s ever done is to have a degree,” said his mother, Gwen Hughes. “Being an educator, that’s top priority for me. I know the lifespan of a football player is not all that good. I want him to be able to have a life after football and not ever come back and live with me.”

Hughes father Nathaniel works in medicine. He said he’s proud of his son for what he’s accomplished both on and off the field.

“Skaydo,” as Hughes is called by his family and friends, has always been athletic, he said, and he’s always been intellectual as well.

“It took a lot of discipline to be able to accomplish the nursing school and practice and play football too,” the senior Hughes said. “For him to accomplish that goal makes me feel good.

“He’s just extremely fortunate and blessed to be able to have the skills. As the parents, though, the main thing we were focusing on was to make sure he had his academics, because the chances of being in the pros a long time is still slim.”

Hughes said he definitely wants to use his nursing degree when he is finished with his football career.

But for now, he’s enjoying where his life is headed while still staying grounded by his family.

His family, and his coaches, thinks he has what it takes.

“He’s got good speed, he’s got good athleticism, he’s smart,” Monken said. “Everything about him athletically and as a person you like. He’s done the right things in practice. Now he just has to show that he can perform when the lights are on.”