Hayes' future?
What does everyone think will happen with Justice Hayes? I know he was a pretty highly touted running back coming in, but that position seems pretty well locked down with Fitz, V-Smith as a 3rd down guy, and maybe Rawls waiting in the wings.
I thought I heard he could convert to a wideout, but he doesn't seem like he's got enough size (5'10'', 176 lbs according to MGoBlue). Granted, he took a redshirt this year and will probably put on some more weight in the offseason, but does anyone have any ideas on where he might fit into Hoke's scheme? His situation, at least to me anyways, seems kind of ambiguous, and I'd hate to see that kind of talent not get utilized.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:50 PM ^
Gallon, Dileo, Tree, & Grady aren't exactly towering, physical receivers ... they all got on the field. If he can play, he'll play.
January 19th, 2012 at 12:59 PM ^
Hayes is a matchup issue. Hes not entirely physically imposing, but he is lightning quick. Also, I think his top end speed is a bit more than Gallons. Also, I dont think we can rule him out as a punt returner, which could be a significant impact.
January 19th, 2012 at 8:11 PM ^
I go to the same high school where he was and he is actually more powerful than his size suggests and he has probably 4.4 speed
January 19th, 2012 at 8:12 PM ^
Not sure about PR though
January 20th, 2012 at 8:19 AM ^
No, he doesn't have 4.4 speed. But for rare exceptions, high school kids don't run 4.4 forties. It just doesn't happen. NFL Draft entrants, who have 3-5 years of additional maturity and specialized training, rarely run 4.4 forties. And Hayes isn't even a particularly fast high schooler.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:51 PM ^
He will only be a redshirt freshman next year. What is your rush? But to answer your question, he could fill the 3rd down back role in his soph year, and maybe even slot receiver his junior year.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:52 PM ^
if we're randomly throwing things at the wall...
The scouting buzz I heard was that he moves in the direction of a Percy Harvin type player. Lines up at halfback some plays. Lines up at slot for other plays. Our most pressing need next though looks to be kick return specialist and I bet he gets tapped for that job as a redshirt freshman. Otherwise I assume he's a multipurpose kind of guy, unless we develop a major depth issue at slot or HB, at which point I assume he'd go fulltime to the place we needed a body.
January 19th, 2012 at 1:56 AM ^
Great point on the kick return specialist!
January 18th, 2012 at 11:54 PM ^
January 19th, 2012 at 12:02 AM ^
Jerald Robinson is 6'1", 206... That's much bigger than Hayes
January 19th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^
meant Terrance Robinson (5-9, 175)...so many robinson's, should have specified
January 18th, 2012 at 11:54 PM ^
either later this year or next. If he adds on weight and learns to hit the holes, thats a heck of a player.
January 19th, 2012 at 12:04 AM ^
Much more explosive than Smith.
No reason to worry about it at this point, we need to see how well he does in offseason and next year's camp.
January 19th, 2012 at 12:09 AM ^
Hoke wanted to play him at running back:
"Justice Hayes as a running back. He's a guy who Fred Jackson has done a tremendous job with. We think he's the kind of back -- because he's 175 pounds now, by the time a year and a half or so, he's going to be 190-pound back and a guy who has very good feet. He had 2600 yards. If you're a back, and you run for 2600 yards, that is saying something. So very excited about him"
Is it possible that the coaching staff might switch him to corner ? I remember Hoke saying something in his NSD presser about how running backs can often get converted to DB's.
"If you recruit a running back, and somewhere down the road he may not be your number one back, but he's a guy who wants to play the game and has a passion for it, then they make outstanding safeties or outstanding corners or slots or linebackers, depending on those backs. So we will always take a couple backs here at Michigan. That will always be a big part of it."
January 19th, 2012 at 3:11 AM ^
justin fargas?
January 19th, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^
Chuck Winters and Charles Drake were two others who came in as RBs and switched to safety. Grant Mason came in as a WR and switched to CB.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:47 AM ^
Anton Campbell and/or Ryan Mundy were running backs early on. Ian Gold was a high school running back who barely played any defense before getting to Michigan and turning into a linebacker.
January 19th, 2012 at 9:43 PM ^
The greatest example for Michigan (at least in my relatively short memory) was Charles Woodson. That may have been more on him than anything else and the coaching staff found a way to use him on offense anyway albeit at receiver and punt returns. Quite a weapon he was.
January 19th, 2012 at 12:17 AM ^
He's going to play... He'll play similar to how they currently use V. Smith... He may even return kicks/punts...
January 19th, 2012 at 12:51 AM ^
im not worried about them finding a way to fit him in the offense. If he's good enough he'll play this year. And if he can't fit into the starting offense, im sure they will have him back deep in place of Odoms on returns, id bet that he is probably one of the faster guys on the team not named Denard
January 19th, 2012 at 1:16 AM ^
Hayes has talent. He will see the field. It's great that Michigan once again has upperclassmen at most positions, so that a player like Hayes has the luxury of being able to learn during his first year or two instead of being thrown into the fire as a true freshman.
It will pay off down the road.
January 19th, 2012 at 1:55 AM ^
Imagine the near future when we aren't worried about underclassmen getting on the field... Ahhhhhhhhhh.
January 19th, 2012 at 2:00 AM ^
well, he ran for 2000+ yards in 2014 in my ncaa '11 dynasty, so i think he'll be fine.
January 19th, 2012 at 3:14 AM ^
he was my go to go in my dynasty too... Could never seem to win the heisman though, took 2nd two years in a row
January 19th, 2012 at 4:52 AM ^
If 5'10" and 176 lbs is too small to play WR, then Anthony Carter and Desmond Howard shouldn't have played WR either.
A lot of schools did not recruit Mike Hart (5'10" and 175 lb) and Denard Robinson (6'0" and 179 lbs) as seniors in HS because of their size.
To say that Justice Hayes is too small to play is offensive - to Justice Hayes as well as the coaches who thought he was worthy of a scholarship. Don't judge a player by their size.
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
January 19th, 2012 at 7:56 AM ^
Hayes will be a redshirt sophomore when Vincent Smith leaves, so he'll have three seasons left to be the third down back.
There's no need to worry about a guy who's a redshirt freshman at a position with an established starter.
January 19th, 2012 at 9:33 AM ^
5'9" 185
January 19th, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^
5'10" 190lb slashing RB. I wouldn't say the staff has relegated Hayes to a 3rd down back. His size probably doesn't prevent him from a shot at being an every down back.
Let's calm down on this thread.
January 20th, 2012 at 9:10 AM ^
How do you know? He never played a single play last year. And why can't high schoolers have 4.4 speed?
January 20th, 2012 at 9:20 AM ^
They just don't. It doesn't happen. I don't feel like digging up all the data that suggest Hayes most likely doesn't run a 4.4, but trust me...he doesn't.