Pittsburgh Panthers EDGE Dayon Hayes plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

20200517_134556by:Justin Rudolph•04/15/24

The Pittsburgh Panthers have just lost a significant part of their defense ahead of the 2024 college football season. On3’s Hayes Fawcett revealed on Monday that Pitt EDGE Dayon Hayes plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Hayes, who just concluded his senior year with the Panthers, put together an impressive 2023 campaign. The six-foot-three Pittsburgh, PA native played in 12 games last season, recording eleven starts. With those eleven starts, Hayes put together his best statistical year with the Panthers, recording 45 total tackles, 25 solo, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, four passes defended, and one fumble.

The second NCAA transfer portal window for college football opens officially on April 16.

If this is indeed Hayes’s farewell to the Pittsburgh program, he will be leaving on a high note with some respectable career numbers. As a Panther, he has 81 total tackles, 44 solo power, 25.5 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks over a 39-game span.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Hayes played high school football at Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh, PA. He would be listed as a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class with a nearly 91 grade, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Hayes was the nation’s No. 266 recruit, ranked 33 among defensive linemen, and was the third-best player to come out of the state of Pennsylvania in his class.

Hayes is the first Pittsburgh player to declare their intention to depart from the program via the transfer portal since the start of the Panthers’ spring practice. prior to that, tight end Karter Johnson was the last individual to do so back in February. It took Johnson some time, but he eventually found his next college football home with the Florida A&M Rattlers.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.