Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 NOV. 21, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI S ince the turn of the century, no single position in Notre Dame football recruiting is more coveted — or more difficult to sign or keep — than a game-chang- ing, speed pass rusher off the edge. That is why freshman Daelin Hayes could become one of the most valued figures in the years to come. The five-star recruit from Belleville, Mich., might be Notre Dame's best hope of providing perhaps the single element most lacking. During their 3-6 start, the Irish were tied for 114th out of 128 teams nationally in sacks (11) and were 83rd in tackles for loss (50). In the seven recruiting cycles from 2004-10, the lone player signed at defensive end by Notre Dame who was drafted by the NFL was Kapron Lewis-Moore from the 2008 recruit- ing class. An immense breakthrough oc- curred in 2011 by landing the elite triumvirate of Aaron Lynch, Stephon Tuitt and Ishaq Williams. Lynch was named a Freshman All-American be- fore transferring, while Tuitt earned All-America notice during the 12-1 campaign in 2012 when he recorded 12 sacks. He became a second-round pick after his junior year. Since then, almost all of the top projected speed rushers at weakside end have either transferred (Kolin Hill to Texas Tech and Jhonny Wil- liams to Toledo), ended up not get- ting admitted (Bo Wallace, now at Arizona State) or "decommited" (2017 verbal commits Robert Beal opting to stay in Georgia and Dona- van Jeter switching to Michigan). Hayes became the outlier in 2016, but with a caveat. Shoulder surgeries and movement around the country limited him to playing only about seven high school games the past three years. The pure athletic skills displayed in camps and in the few games he played merited the five stars, but the overall package arrived with a fragile label. As an early en- rollee last January, Hayes was closely monitored by head trainer Rob Hunt and the Irish medical team. "The physical therapy with Rob Hunt, they got me right," Hayes said. "I never really rehabbed [the shoul- der] the right way, and I had never done it that intense. I wanted to get healthy. "It was kind like I had a leash. I could practice, but I couldn't do full contact. There was a tentativeness, but I felt good. Once fall came around and they let me off the chain, I felt great." When head coach Brian Kelly was asked about Hayes' role prior to the season opener at Texas Sept. 4, he re- mained guarded: "Get lined up right. Don't jump offsides. Put your jersey on the right way. Just settle into the game." Hayes didn't see any defensive snaps at Texas and only five against Navy's triple option Nov. 5, but in between while rotating mainly with junior Andrew Trumbetti at weak- side end he's averaged about 18 snaps per contest. He's been cred- ited with 10 tackles and forced a fumble. The highlight moment was his tipped pass while in excellent coverage in the 36-28 loss to Michi- gan State Sept. 17 that resulted in an interception. That one play demonstrated how Hayes isn't solely and won't exclu- sively be a pass rusher. In the mul- tiple defensive sets, Hayes will be a hybrid figure, an outside linebacker in the 3-4 or an end in the 4-3. He does not have the 6-6, 300-pound frame of a Tuitt to be an end in the 3-4. Lynch also was 6-6. Listed at 6-3½, 250 pounds on the roster, Hayes bulked up to 261 pounds last spring before going on a diet that has him now just less than 240 pounds (Kelly wants him around 250). He admits that the rush end role is where he is most comfortable. "I haven't truly pass rushed yet," Hayes said. "I've been doing a lot of dropping [into coverage]. I've blitzed occasionally, but I do a lot of drop- ping more so. I haven't really gotten the chance to just pass rush like I do in practice. "I'm a smaller guy, so being able to use my hands and use my agility and quickness to my advantage has definitely been the biggest thing." Consequently, the instant impact label is on hold, and the five-star la- bel means nothing to him. "That stuff went out the window as soon as I got here," said Hayes, whose frame is more in line with 2015 Butkus Award winner Jaylon Smith, another former five-star whose No. 9 he now dons. "As soon as you get to work with these guys, it doesn't mat- ter. It's all about hard work." Learning how to practice with con- sistency at the collegiate level has been his top adjustment. "Every day you have to be detailed in what you do. Every day you have to have a killer's mentality when you go out there," Hayes said. "If you can't do it in practice, you're not go- ing to be able to do it in a game. "The biggest adjustment is just making sure you do your job. In high school you're like Superman — you want to go all over the place and do everybody's job. In college you really have to hone in on your assignment, be detailed in that assignment and be able to execute at a high level." Senior linebacker and team captain James Onwualu, whose eight tackles for loss and five passes broken up lead the team, especially notes how coachable Hayes is. "He works really hard and con- tinues to learn," he said. "I can't say enough good things about him. He's going to be a great player. "He can make a big play because he's a freak athlete, and the next snap he forgets what we're even in. It's not like he doesn't have the ability; it's just continuing to work that focus." It will be much needed in Notre Dame's "end game" on defense in the present and especially the future. ✦ THE FUTURE HYBRID Daelin Hayes is expected to become a vital cog on Notre Dame's defense in the upcoming years Hayes contributed 10 tackles, one forced fumble and one pass broken up through nine games. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA