Dayon Hayes, the fifth-year senior Pitt defensive end who entered the transfer portal Monday evening, has informed the Post-Gazette the reason for his departure.
While his decision wasn’t because of any malice between him and the team in their recent dealings during spring practices, it did stem from his outlook on the Panthers’ chances to be a serious contender in 2024.
“It’s just that I don’t believe we can win now,” Hayes messaged the Post-Gazette. “I believe we [were going to] win games, but I believe we are [in] a developmental stage. And I just can’t do that right now.”
A source close to the situation informed the Post-Gazette that the Pitt collective, Alliance 412, signed Hayes to one of the highest-paying NIL deals on the team for the 2024 season. The collective reportedly did that as a show of commitment to Hayes that the collective and program saw Hayes as one of the top returning players for the Panthers. A source said Hayes told teammates his biggest reason for entering the portal was the state of Pitt’s offense. New coordinator Kade Bell was hired out of Western Carolina to fix that side of the ball, but it’s no secret the Panthers struggled mightily in 2023 as they finished last in almost every meaningful offensive statistic in the ACC.
Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound defensive end, was entering his fifth year with the Panthers after being a four-star 2020 local recruit out of Westinghouse. He started 11 of Pitt’s 12 games in 2023, which was the first year he was a consistent starter for the program. The Panthers finished 3-9 in 2023, the worst record during Pat Narduzzi’s nine-year tenure as head coach for the program.
After registering four sacks on the season, Hayes appeared to be one of the key leaders for the team headed into the 2024 season. Freshmen like four-star defensive end Sincere Edwards had recently spoke of Hayes as a definitive leader on the team, both on the field and in the classroom.
Hayes enters the portal with one year left of eligibility and an available redshirt to burn. In his 39 games played with Pitt, he totaled 81 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, with five passes broken up and two forced fumbles.
Unless Hayes uses that redshirt year, the 2024 college football season will be his last chance to prove to NFL scouts he is a prospect worthy of being a major target in the 2025 draft class. Hayes was a bench player for the Panthers in both their 2021 ACC championship and their 2022 Sun Bowl victory, as Pitt won 20 games over a span of two seasons for the first time since the 1981 and 1982 seasons.
Earlier this month, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi praised Hayes for his growth as both a player and a leader.
“Dayon’s done a great job,” Narduzzi said at the time. “He’s grown up a little bit. He’s still a kid at heart, but he loves to play the game and plays hard. You can ask coach [Tim] Daoust, but I see more consistency from him and less of the highs and lows in his game.”
Hayes would later release a statement on X to clarify his position:
“Apologies to coach Narduzzi, my teammates and Pitt” the statement read. “I fully understand what’s going on around [in] the media and I want to say that despite what is being said, I do have a lot of faith in this team and believe in everything they have to offer. They made me the player I am today. I started with Pittsburgh and I will always [be] a homer. But this is a business and I think my time here has come to an end. My future will remain in god’s hands. So please respect my choices. And as alwways, #H2P.”
Christopher Carter: ccarter@post-gazette.com and @CarterCritiques on X
First Published: April 16, 2024, 12:25 a.m.
Updated: April 16, 2024, 5:39 p.m.
