The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/848029
AUGUST 2017 THE WOLVERINE 55 COMMITMENT PROFILE In today's world of recruiting, filled with Twitter announcements, video commitments and flip-flopping, it's refreshing when a kid handles his recruitment like Traverse City (Mich.) West three-star offensive tackle Ryan Hayes did. The 6-7, 250-pounder committed to Michigan May 27 with- out making too many waves, and that's exactly how he wanted it. "I actually had a baseball game the morning I committed and — I don't know why — but I just really felt like it was the right time to commit," Hayes said with a laugh. "It was just the right time, and there was no rea- son to wait on my drive home. "When I took my visits a while back, I pretty much knew that I wanted to go to Michigan. I was pretty sure I was going to commit to Michigan throughout my recruitment. After I looked into a little more stuff I just knew I really wanted to go there. There was no reason to wait. I just re- ally wanted to commit and I did." New offensive tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey played a big role in landing Hayes. Frey recruited Hayes' older brother Connor during his tenure at Indiana and that was an advantage in the recruitment of Ryan. The younger Hayes didn't know it back then, but Frey's connection with the rest of the family paid dividends for the Michigan staff in 2017. "When Coach Frey first got to Michigan, they started to contact me," Hayes explained. "I didn't re- ally know him as well because I was younger, but my brother, mom and dad all had really good things to say about him. They really, really liked him, and then I felt the same once I met him and started talking to him. He's a really good guy." It will now be Frey's job to turn Hayes into a jumbo tight end or an uber-athletic offensive tackle, and Traverse City West head coach Tim Wooer believes that his standout will excel in either role. "He'll be fine as a full-time offen- sive lineman," Wooer said. "He uses his hands extremely well, he's long and he's got great feet. He'll excel in pass protection, and he's a tough physical player as well so he'll be fine inside. I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan uses him at tight end a lit- tle bit, though. He's not going to take the top off of a defense, but he's ex- tremely rangy and athletic. I met Ian Bunting when I was down there this spring. I looked at him and thought, 'That's Ryan Hayes right now.' "Bunting is about 6-6, 6-7 and about 250-something ,and that's right where Ryan is. I think he'll probably grow out of tight end, but we split him out There aren't any high school defensive backs who can cover him one on one because of his height and length." Hayes reeled in 20 catches for 311 yards en route to earning all-region accolades at tight end as a junior. Rivals.com rates him as a three-star talent, the No. 16 player in Michigan and the No. 49 offensive tackle na- tionally. He has been clocked at 4.97 in the 40-yard dash. However, he has barely scratched the surface on what he can be as a football player due to the time split participating in other sports. In hoops as a junior, Hayes earned Big North Conference Player of the Year honors and was an honorable mention Division 1 all-state pick after averaging 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. More of the same in baseball as a junior — Hayes was the Big North Conference Player of the Year after setting school records for ERA (0.48) and strikeouts (102). — Brandon Brown Wolverines Use Old Connections To Land In-State Lineman Ryan Hayes FILM EVALUATION Strengths: Ryan Hayes isn't the bulkiest offensive tackle at 6-7 and 250 pounds, but he has very solid athleticism and actually plays tight end in high school. He shines on the basketball court and baseball diamond as well as the gridiron, and the overall athleticism is apparent in all three arenas. He's very light on his feet and flexible for such a tall prospect. That length also helps make up for not being a big bruiser. Areas Of Improvement: Hayes will need to get stronger in order to excel at Michigan. Right now he's constantly working on different skills for different sports, but once he has a chance to focus on football only he should be able to really de- velop into a solid lineman. He has a long frame with wide shoulders and should be able to eclipse 300 pounds with ease once at Michigan. Michigan Player Comparison: At 6-7 and 250 pounds heading into his senior year, Hayes compares fa- vorably to former Wolverine Taylor Lewan. Coming out of high school, Lewan was also considered a long, lean tackle prospect at 6-7 and 272 pounds. Hayes could easily be in that same area by this time next year and has a chance to follow a similar trajectory once at Michigan because of his frame and overall athleticism. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com Hayes is listed as a three-star recruit, the No. 16 player in Michigan and the No. 49 offensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Hayes on offensive tackles and tight ends coach Greg Frey "When Coach Frey first got to Michigan, they started to contact me. … I didn't really know him as well because I was younger, but my brother, mom and dad all had really good things to say about him. They really, really liked him, and then I felt the same once I met him and started talking to him."