Hayes Improving on a Daily Basis

Notre Dame desperately needed a pass rusher last fall and never found a guy to step up. This spring, sophomore rush end Daelin Hayes has stepped up and has provided hope that he can be the guy to get after the quarterback in 2017.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder recorded seven tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss in Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game.

“It was a great experience, and I had a lot of fun,” Hayes said of his performance.

In his freshman campaign, Hayes recorded 12 tackles on the year and he felt the defense has taken a step forward this spring. The former five-star prospect has noticed guys are more locked in and ready to prepare each day.

“It’s about buying into the process and trusting the process,” explained Hayes. “We have to understand coaches are going to put us in a great position and we have to make the play at the end of the day.

“The attention to detail and grit has been huge for us. It’s a statement for our defense. We want to be a gritty team.”

With a new defensive coordinator, Hayes has seen guys follow Mike Elko and get the results asked of the defense. The Spring Game was a chance to show off the progress made, but it shows where they need to grow.  

“I think the level of buy-in and the level of execution is something that has been a huge turnaround,” Hayes stated. “It’s something we are going to continue to improve upon in the future. We aren’t where we want to be and a lot of things to improve, but it was a great first step.

“There was a yearning for change after last year. You have a reboot of the program and guys are hungry. We don’t want to experience the same season as last year. Coach Elko, Coach (Matt) Balis, and everyone came in, and we welcomed them with open arms.”

When it comes to his own game, Hayes is keeping it simple. The Michigan native wants to keep his focus on a daily basis and to improve his game to help the team.  

“Taking every rep as a learning experience and understanding my role,” Hayes said of his focus. “I want to get better each day.

“I see my role as being a guy that does my job and does it well for my teammates. I know the coaches will put me in a position to make plays and that’s my job.”

Part of his growth can be attributed to left tackle Mike McGlinchey. The fifth-year senior turned down the NFL Draft to come back and improve his game, but he is also improving Hayes’ game.

‘I don’t think it was overwhelming,” Hayes said of competing against McGlinchey. “I have always been a competitor. He is a first-round talent, but I am grateful to go against him each day. He makes me better every day, and I am appreciative.

“I love competing with the guy. You against a guy like that in practice every day, it’s like second-nature when the games come.”

All in all, Hayes and the Notre Dame staff have to be happy with his progression over the last 15 practices. When the spring is combined with the confidence builder of the Blue-Gold Game, Hayes is headed down the right track to give Notre Dame what it needs the most next fall.  

“You want to grow and progress every day,” said Hayes. “This spring has been huge in establishing a routine and being comfortable with the system. Working with Mike will probably speed the process up a little bit because you’re going to catch up quick.”