Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
be,'" Hayes said after his official visit. "I have confidence in the coach- ing staff as far as development," he added. "You look at Jaylon's evolu- tion from the time he was a freshman to where he is at now — the poten- tial first linebacker taken in the NFL Draft. It's nothing short of phenom- enal." Hayes signed an early financial aid agreement with the Irish and plans to enroll at Notre Dame in January. He became the first five-star prospect to ink with the program since offensive guard Quenton Nelson in 2014. "It was real close," Hayes said when asked about his other finalists Michi- gan State and Ohio State. "It was a very close battle with those three. I actually narrowed it down to those three, because I thought those were the three institutions that fit me the best. … But ultimately, I had to go where my heart was telling me." The 6-3, 254-pound Hayes missed a majority of his senior season at Skyline because of a shoulder injury, but was still named a U.S. Army All-Ameri- can and ranked by Rivals as the top prospect in Michigan, and the No. 6 outside linebacker and No. 21 overall player in the country. He said that while the comparisons to Smith were important throughout the recruiting process, what really drew him to Notre Dame are the op- portunities that the school presents after football. "It's just phenomenal," Neals said. "To have such a wide access and a net- work … it's like an Ivy League school in the Midwest. "There's nothing you can't like about it." ✦ 2016 VINTAGE ND FooTbAll CAlENDArs BLUE AND GOLD ILLUSTRATED PO BOx 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 Visit our online store! www.BlueGoldOnline.com 1-800- 421-7751 IN sToCK NoW — Makes A Great Holiday Gift! Please add sales tax if shipping to: IN (7%), MI (6%), and NC (7.5%) Call for best shipping rates on multiple items! Each month's image is a frame-ready reproduction of a classic game day program cover — Available in Desktop or Wall sizes — ITEm #6451 Vintage Wall Calendar Size 11"x14" $ 21 95 plus $7 S&H Within Cont. U.s. only ITEm #6452 Vintage Desktop Calendar w/Built-In Easel Size 7"x7" $ 12 95 plus $4 S&H About the Vintage Calendar Collector's series: These calendars are part of a collector's series featuring archival-quality reproductions of home and away game souvenir programs. Each year brings 12 different cover reproductions from actual programs that were sold at the stadiums during the early 1900s to the 1960s. This unique format of frame- ready prints feature different, authentic cover images each year.