Dayon Hayes will be back in the transfer portal again.
Hayes — a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end from Pittsburgh, Pa. — had a contentious exit from Pitt last spring, eventually winding up with Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes for the 2024 season, but he will spend his final season of eligibility elsewhere.
Hayes Fawcett on On3 reported Tuesday morning that Hayes plans to enter the transfer portal again. He will be able to redshirt following a mid-season injury that forced him out for the season, which gives him one more season.
Hayes played in four games this season for Colorado, preserving another season of eligibility, and he recorded 163 defensive snaps over the first four weeks of the season. According to PFF, he recorded four pressures and three hurries — adding 10 run stops.
He’s racked up 16 tackles (10 solo), four tackles for loss and two sacks this season.
He finished his Pitt career with 81 tackles (45 solo), 26.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and five pass breakups over four seasons — emerging as a starter in 2023.
The re-entry adds another example to the cautionary tale that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Dayon Hayes would have played quite a bit for the Panthers this season. Now, he’s looking for his third school in three years.
Pitt is set to lose Nate Matlack, and while Nate Temple is up in the air, so there is still a need at defensive end. Jimmy Scott, Sincere Edwards and Chief Borders form a solid trio, but the Panthers could use a true impact edge out of the portal.
