Dayon Hayes
Dayon Hayes
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come. Three head coaches in five seasons, at three different programs. The receipt: 3 tackles, 0.5 TFL against Utah State — Week 2, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Jimbo Fisher, Elijah Robinson, and Mike Elko. Multi-era developmental context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Elko
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Texas A&M | 17 | 12 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Colorado | 16 | 10 | 3.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh | 45 | 25 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 4 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Pittsburgh | 13 | 9 | 4.5 | 3.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | Pittsburgh | 16 | 9 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 107 | 65 | 31.5 | 16.0 | 6 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025
W 41–40
at Notre Dame
1 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 QB HUR
Edged out Notre Dame on the road in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Texas A&M
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive end · Texas A&M
Returning around him
- 10 Texas A&M players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -2 net (19 in / 21 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Texas A&M · Last season: 11-2 (AP #7) · Talent rank #8 · 2026 recruiting class #10
DNA match
Player DNA
Pressure Merchant
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Cedric Johnson’s 2021 season.
Matches Cedric on
Differs from Cedric on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.