Georgia’s Jay Hayes continues trend of high-caliber graduate transfer additions

Jay Hayes had seen too much turnover with defensive coordinators at Notre Dame. Nearly each year, a new face made his way to lead the Fighting Irish defense.

Hayes had a season-and-a-half to work under Brian VanGorder, the former Georgia defensive coordinator who held the role at Notre Dame from 2014-16. He was replaced by interim Greg Hudson, who was then booted in favor of Mike Elko.

When Elko was set to leave South Bend to join Jimbo Fisher’s staff at Texas A&M, it also became time for Hayes’ departure. He began looking at schools and was once committed to Oklahoma, but he had one objective with a lone season of eligibility remaining.

“He wanted to play for a program that could compete for a National Championship,” said Kevin Fountaine, who coached Hayes at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, New York. Georgia redshirt freshman Isaiah Wilson also played under Fountaine from 2013-16.

As he filed through his options, Hayes chose Georgia over Alabama, Oklahoma and the opportunity to continue playing under Elko with the Aggies. Hayes committed to Georgia on April 25, after envisioning the potential to contend with the Bulldogs in 2018.

“I may have had a little something to do with it,” said Georgia senior defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter at SEC Media Days, who used the prototypical, near-cliche phrase of “feels like home” when asked why Hayes opted to choose Georgia. “He’s really driven and it’s great to have him.”

Hayes is the second graduate transfer to join the Bulldogs for this upcoming season, joining former Murray State punter Landon Stratton. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart could be on the beginning of a trend as he was dependent upon two graduate transfers – punter Cam Nizialek (Columbia) and defensive end Maurice Smith (Alabama) – in each of his first two seasons as the head coach.

Of the four potentially influential graduate transfers since 2016, Georgia has gone as far as New York and Texas to do so. The closest is Stratton, who comes from Russellville, Kentucky – 361 miles from Athens.

“Georgia is an attractive place because you have Atlanta, and you can fly in,” Smart said. “If there’s a graduate transfer out there and says, ‘I want my family to see me play,’ where better than an hour from Atlanta and playing in the SEC.

“We now have a track record and history of success with graduate transfers. They can now say ‘He’s managed this before, so let me go there and I know I’ll get an opportunity to play.’ ”

Hayes’ case, however, differs from the others in that Georgia saw his abilities first-hand. Smart had to scheme for 289-pound defensive lineman ahead of the 2017 matchup with Notre Dame, in which Georgia prevailed 20-19.

Hayes, opposing recent NFL draftee Isaiah Wynn and Bulldog starter Andrew Thomas, tied for the team lead with seven tackles against Georgia. While donning the opposing navy, the Bulldogs had their first glimpse.

An impressive one, at that.

“Oh, I watched the tape, that boy can move,” Ledbetter said. “He had great work on both (Wynn and Thomas) and made some great plays in the backfield. That’s not easy to do. … He’s a bad man.”

Hayes enrolled at Georgia along with the rest of the newcomers in June. It wasn’t to the extreme of Smith, who had to wait until August for clearance by the conference to transfer. He also didn’t have the luxury of Nizialek who was able to enroll in January and experience spring practice with the team.

To his advantage is his experience at a Power 5 program and playing 11 games in 2017 with the Fighting Irish. But when Hayes stepped onto Georgia’s campus, he had to make adjustments.

“It’s a whole new situation, and it’s almost like coming in as a freshman again,” Nizialek said in a phone interview with The Telegraph on Monday. “You don’t know where the classes are, the meals are or the workouts. Your basic routine is off, but the coaching staff makes that easier.”

Smart did so by bringing in Smith, whom the Bulldogs’ head coach regards as “one of the best leaders,” to remind Hayes of responsibilities despite making the transition. Smith’s message, as recalled by Smart, was to “embrace” his previous experience and how a move doesn’t preclude Hayes from being a leader in his final collegiate season.

Thus far, Hayes has done so as his leadership qualities brought a smile of amazement to Smart’s face.

“He works hard and puts in more time on Saturdays,” Smart said. “He loves the game and it sets a great example.”

Each time a transfer comes into the program, there’s a slight worry if he will fit into the team’s dynamic as a new face. For Hayes, he has needed little time to adapt. He first connected with Ledbetter, who grew up in New Jersey.

Ledbetter thought it may have been due to being natives of the same area — until he was brought into the position meeting room. At that moment, Hayes and his new teammates were at ease after a burst of laughter

“It was some joke about how he had a big head,” Ledbetter said. “We all knew he would fit in.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2018 at 5:57 PM.