The news that Dayon Hayes was hitting the transfer portal caught Pitt fans by surprise Monday, and the surprise didn’t stop there.
In a report published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Christopher Carter, Hayes said that he didn’t believe Pitt could win games. He continued by saying that the Panthers are in a development phase, which isn’t what he wanted.
Carter further reported that Alliance 412, the preferred NIL collective, had previously signed Hayes to one of the largest NIL deals on the roster.
Hayes posted an apology on X (formerly known as Twitter) to Pat Narduzzi, his teammates and the University of Pittsburgh.
“Apologies to Coach Narduzzi, my teammates and Pitt. I fully understand what’s going on around 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 gods hands. So please respect my choices and as always #H2P”
Hayes first announced his intentions to return to Pitt after a standout performance against Boston College in November.
He finished the night with six tackles (five solo), three tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups and a quarterback hit — putting in his best performance of the season in the final game at Acrisure Stadium. And then he announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) in December that he would return again.
But while he’s yet to officially hit the transfer portal, Hayes — barring unforeseen events — will not be returning to Pitt.
Hayes finished the 2023 season with 45 tackles (25 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble, four pass breakups and a lot of pressures, hurries and quarterback hits despite the relatively low sack totals. Hayes was better than his individual statistics indicated last season, but he will attempt to realize that full potential elsewhere.
He finishes his Pitt career with 81 tackles (45 solo), 26.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and five pass breakups.
Pitt revamped the defensive line room over the winter, adding Nate Matlack and David Ojiegbe, but it’s still a very inexperienced unit that features Jimmy Scott, Bam Brima, Sincere Edwards, Antonio Camon, Zach Crothers Maverick Gracio.
Pitt will likely need to readdress defensive end in the transfer portal now.
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