Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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2016 RECRUITING ISSUE of those factors come at a premium when projecting talent, and he checks all the boxes." But just because Hayes has the looks of a star in the making doesn't mean that one can ignore the facts. In Hayes' final three years of high school, he saw action in just nine varsity games. He tore his labrum the third week of his sophomore season at Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's, which side- lined for the rest of the year. He started his junior campaign at Ventura (Calif.) St. Bonaventure, but a custody battle between his parents brought him back to Michigan, where he was forced to sit out the remainder of the season be- cause of transfer eligibility rules. That set the stage for a senior season at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline that was supposed to answer plenty of ques- tions about Hayes, but once again a shoulder injury derailed things. "I just can't catch a break in the high school game," Hayes told The Detroit Free Press. "One of the biggest things I came to the realization of is I'm really not in control of anything." Hayes is right. There are plenty of situations in his life that he cannot con- trol, but the one that he did have a say in was his recruitment, and that's what eventually led him to Notre Dame. The linebacker landed his first schol- arship the spring of his sophomore season from Michigan State. By the June prior to his junior year, he had of- fers on the table from Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and Penn State. That's when he decided to take his first unof- ficial visit to Notre Dame, which re- sulted in a bid from the Irish. "I've always loved Notre Dame," said Hayes, while reflecting on the summer camp where he first met Kelly and impressed the rest of the coaches. But just because Hayes had an affec- tion for the program doesn't mean that they were always going to be the pick. Hayes committed to USC a month af- ter landing an offer from Notre Dame. He spent the next year telling the me- dia that he was "married" to the Tro- jans and not shopping around or look- ing at other schools. But that didn't stop Kelly and the Irish from keeping in contact with Hayes. "I think what Notre Dame did a good job of was recruiting him from a distance," Ann Arbor Skyline head coach Channing Brock said. "They never put too much pressure on him." And that's exactly what led to the flip. Hayes decommitted from USC Oct. 12 following some turnover in Los Angeles. Five days latter, he was at Notre Dame with his parents for an official visit. That's what prompted Kelly and the rest of the coaches to start pushing Hayes on what Notre Dame could do for him after football. The pitch connected with a pros- pect that has plenty of potential, but has also seen how injuries can affect a career. "Once I took football out of the equa- tion, it felt like a no brainer," Hayes said Dec. 10, when he committed to the Irish. "I believe to make a decision solely off athletics is foolish. Why not maximize every opportunity on and off the field that a college presents? I felt like Notre Dame has the best plat-