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Notre Dame Football: Daelin Hayes is Irish’s secret star

By Matthew Bartlett

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 24: Anthony Nash #83 of the Duke Blue Devils is tripped up by Daelin Hayes #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half of a game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 24, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Duke defeated Notre Dame 38-35. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 24: Anthony Nash #83 of the Duke Blue Devils is tripped up by Daelin Hayes #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half of a game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 24, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Duke defeated Notre Dame 38-35. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football has a secret weapon. Fresh off a woeful 4-8 campaign, the Irish will depend on defensive end Daelin Hayes for that game-changing spark.

A survivor of three shoulder surgeries, Daelin Hayes has an unbelievable amount of untapped potential. His health has kept him sidelined for most of his Irish career. This year, fully healthy for the first time in years, he stands to make a season-altering impact for Notre Dame football.

A sophomore, Hayes registered 12 tackles and one forced fumble in 2016. It’s hard to imagine him not vastly outpacing those numbers, perhaps surpassing both totals in the season opener.

The affirmations and praise for Irish defensive end have been unending this offseason. Head coach Brian Kelly called him a “disruptive player” on defense. Left tackle Mike McGlinchey, a potential high draft pick in the 2017 draft gave Hayes a glowing review. Of the Ann Arbor, Michigan native, McGlinchey said this:

"Daelin is going to get better and better as he continues to stick to the process of conditioning, strength growth, position growth and just studying the game. He’s going to be a phenomenal player for us and he’s going to have a big role for us this fall. We need to see more of the same improvement that we’ve seen all spring from Daelin."

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New Irish defensive coordinator Mike Elko is going to take full advantage of a healthy season of Daelin Hayes. His Wake Forest defense registered 41 sacks last year. The same defensive scheme with more talented athletes should translate to a double-digit sack season for Hayes. If he can reach that, the Irish will be in position to win a few more games and go bowling at the very least.

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