The final spots in the 2013 recruiting class are all but filled. But Notre Dame picked up another important recruit in the 2014 class this morning, with Brooklyn defensive tackle Jay Hayes pledging his commitment to the Irish.
“He committed to Notre Dame this morning,” Poly Prep head coach Dino Mangiero told BlueandGold.com. “He loves the school and the whole idea at Notre Dame. He knows he’s going to get a great education and a high level of football. He’s a smart kid and he has a very smart mom.”
At this point, the details on Hayes are fairly scant, but it’s hard not to like everything you read about the 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive tackle from Poly Prep, a school that’s been kind to Notre Dame with alums Eric Olsen, JW Jordan, and Marcus Wilson all suiting up for the Irish.
If there’s an early position of need for the class of 2014, it is certainly defensive tackle. With Louis Nix, Kona Schwenke, and Tony Springmann the only defensive tackles on the roster right now (Schwenke and Springmann are converted defensive ends), adding another anchor to the middle of the defensive front is a necessity. With Hayes, an early recruit with reported offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Oregon, and Michigan, Notre Dame certainly seems to have found its perfect match.
Earlier this summer, MSGVarsity.com caught up with Hayes, who expressed an early affinity for the Irish.
“It puts a smile on my face because I’ve grown up to be a Michigan fan and also I really love Notre Dame because Poly has really good connections with Notre Dame,” Hayes told MSGVarsity. “I’m a big fan of both of those programs. Academically they can get you many places.”
Hayes joins wide receiver Justin Brent and linebacker Greer Martini in the 2014 recruiting class.