Dante Hughes Daymeion Dante Hughes ( born August 21 , 1985 ) is an American football cornerback who most recently played for the New York Giants of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of California , Berkeley , and received All - American honors . The Indianapolis Colts selected him in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft , and he has also played for the NFL ' s San Diego Chargers . Early years . Hughes was born in Los Angeles , California . Tested for Highly Gifted at age 8 . Attended Harbor Math / Science Highly Gifted Magnet Elementary which is located in San Pedro , CA . Went on to attend Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles , and was a letterman in football , basketball , tennis , and track . In football , he was an all - league and an all - city honoree as a junior . As a senior , he was named the Coliseum League ' s co - Player of the Year . In basketball , he was a two - year starter . On Rivals . com ' s list of Top 100 California Players , Hughes came in at No . 41 and was subsequently recruited by Pete Carroll at University of Southern California , Ty Willingham at Norte Dame , MICHIGAN ST , ARIZONA , OREGON , and WISCONSIN , but eventually landed at Cal . College career . Hughes enrolled in the University of California , where he played for California Golden Bears football team from 2003 to 2006 . He was recognized as the Lott Trophy winner in 2006 and a consensus first - team All - American while leading the nation in interception s with eight . He was prolific in breaking up passes and making pinpoint tackles to stop the passer ' s progress in all four years . Due to his ability to completely shut down one side of the field , he has been given the label of a " shutdown corner , " a title only given to the best of defensive backs . In 2003 , as a freshman , Hughes started five games . Hughes recorded a tying - team high with two interceptions , 30 tackles , and recovered a fumble . Hughes first interception was returned 72 - yards for a touchdown against Oregon State . Hughes was awarded the Bob Simmons Award as the team ' s most valuable freshman . As a sophomore in 2004 , Hughes started in 11 of 12 games . Hughes was the team ' s 12th leading tackler with 26 tackles and was second on the team with 6 broken up passes . Hughes starred in the Big Game against Stanford , where he recorded four broken up passes and two tackles . Also , Hughes had three four - tackle games . In his junior season of 2005 , Hughes led the Pac - 10 with 17 defended passes , 12 of those broken up . He ranked second in the Pac - 10 and 16th nationally with five interceptions . Hughes also finished fourth on the team with 62 tackles . Against the University of Washington , Hughes took an interception back 41 - yards for a touchdown . Against the University of Southern California , Hughes recorded a season - best 10 tackles and broke up two tackles . Against Washington State , Hughes blocked a kick and had three pass break - ups . In the Las Vegas Bowl against Brigham Young University , Hughes ' interception on BYU ' s final drive clinched the win for Cal . In his final season of 2006 , Hughes was the Pac - 10 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Lott IMPACT Trophy . Hughes was first - team All - American and recorded eight interceptions and defended 19 passes . Hughes was second on the team with 72 tackles too . Against USC , Hughes had seven tackles and broke up a pass . Against UCLA , Hughes recorded a team - best 10 tackles , three pass break - ups , and an interception . Hughes intercepted a key pass in the endzone against Washington and recorded a season - high 11 tackles and two interceptions against Arizona State , one of which was taken back for a touchdown . Hughes also returned an interception 30 - yards for a score against Portland State and recorded two interceptions against the University of Minnesota . Along with Syd ' Quan Thompson , the highly regarded duo led the Golden Bears to one of its best defensive seasons ever in terms of pass defense . Professional career . Indianapolis Colts . After his senior season , he was expected to be an early first day pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and one of the first cornerbacks taken . However , slower than expected 40 - yard dash times likely led to his selection by the Indianapolis Colts late the third round . Hughes and Tim Jennings competed for the nickel back duties behind projected starter Kelvin Hayden and left corner Marlin Jackson . Hughes competed against fellow - rookie Michael Coe . Hughes finished the season with 14 tackles in only 10 games . Hughes was waived on September 5 , 2009 . San Diego Chargers . On October 20 , 2009 , Hughes signed with the San Diego Chargers after Antwan Applewhite was placed on injured reserve . On October 24 , 2009 he was waived by San Diego , but was re - signed on October 27 . On October 3 , 2010 he was released to make room for Wilson . On October 6 , 2010 Hughes was re - signed to the 53 - man roster . For the 2010 season he has played in 4 games and made 2 tackles . Hughes was released on March 13 , 2012 . Personal . He is known by his middle name , Dante , to his close friends and family members . He is the son of Ronald and Catana Hughes and graduated with a degree in art practice . Hughes and his art were featured on the sports page of the San Jose Mercury News .