Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 6, 2017 17 "He's spent extra time in the film room and understands his assign- ment. He's talking to me outside of the Gug about our assignments be- cause we communicate being on the strongside of the defense. You can tell it means a lot to him, and he's obvi- ously shown it on the field." For three years, Irish fans have waited for Hayes to break out and justify the four-star ranking he earned in high school. With each up, there was seemingly always a down. For each tackle for loss, there was a setback, most infamously a 2015 tweet — "When a coach stops coach- ing you … that's when you jus [sic] gotta move on. Gotta get this natty [national title] and I'm out." — that led to a suspension. But like so many that have donned the blue and gold, Hayes has learned from his youthful mistakes. Due to necessity, Hayes was thrust into a contributing role for the final three games in 2014 after sitting out the first 10 of a planned redshirt sea- son. Then, Notre Dame preserved that year of eligibility by sitting him throughout 2015, which led to admit- ted frustration. "We all have it, and we call it the freshman blues when you don't play," he said. "Someone told me that and to stick it through. Times change. You go from not playing to playing. "You just have to identify those people and tell them to stick to the process. I'm glad when I was here [early in my career] that I had people spotting me and saying, 'Hey man, stick to it.'" The dividends are paying off for Hayes, who registered 18 total stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries and one safety for the Irish in the first seven con- tests — a stat line that does not fully encapsulate his 2017 production. "He's incredible," Tranquill said. "If you go back, some of the plays he makes don't necessarily get high- lighted, but watching tape he's abso- lutely throwing guys on the ground with one arm at times. "It's very impressive to see the strides he's made physically, and the strides he's made in terms of his understanding our defense and his ability to play within it. I'm very impressed with him and how he's grown." Hayes credits the hands-on ap- proach of defensive line coach Mike Elston, who moved from leading the linebackers to the D-line during the offseason, with his development. "The key has been doing the things we need to do in practice and study- ing the opponent," he said. "Really putting a lot of work in the film room and accountability. It's so much that I can name, but I think it all starts with Coach Elston. "Technique and film study. Film study has been crucial. We go into a game and know the name of our opponents. We know the name of the tackle we're facing and all his tendencies. We know what he likes to do. I think the other team doesn't know that, but that's been a huge part of Coach Elston's emphasis. "He's on us. He knows if we've been watching film or not. You get in the meeting room and haven't been watching film, he's calling you out." Although the senior 's breakout season comes as a surprise to many, it doesn't to the ever-confident Hayes. For him, it was just a matter of time before it all clicked. "I always have faith in myself," he said. "I always felt like I can do the things I'm doing now. I've improved so much, and I'm going to continue to improve throughout the season. "I'm happy where I'm at now and still hungry to improve." With one year of eligibility remain- ing, Hayes is coy about his future. He will, however, admit his goals remain the same as the day he stepped on campus: graduate and win a national championship. Although those ambitions have stayed the same throughout his jour- ney in South Bend, Hayes hasn't. And he and the rest of the program wouldn't have it any other way. ✦ In Notre Dame's first seven games, Hayes recorded 18 total stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and three quarterback hurries. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL SENIOR SURPRISE In his fourth season, Jay Hayes has emerged as a standout along the Irish defensive line "It's very impressive to see the strides he's made physically, and the strides he's made in terms of his understanding our defense and his ability to play within it. I'm very impressed with him and how he's grown." SENIOR CAPTAIN DRUE TRANQUILL ON HAYES BY ANDREW OWENS T hese days, Jay Hayes is all business for Notre Dame. The strongside defensive end and Brooklyn, N.Y., native could have gone a number of directions his senior season, but a change in his approach has helped him lead a rejuve- nation along the Irish defensive line. It hasn't gone unnoticed by his coaches and teammates. "In the offseason when we started doing all this training he was a guy who has always brought a good energy and emotion, but hasn't necessarily been able to execute his job in terms of under- standing the defense," senior captain Drue Tranquill said. "I think it really means a lot to Jay this year. "I'm not sure necessarily what sparked that change, but you can tell it means a lot to him.