LARGO, Fla. — The days of long, tall inside linebackers aren’t completely over. Most linebackers today are more like the big safeties of the 1990s and early to mid-2000s. The 6’0”, 210-pound player who can really run. Well, the 210 pounds is about the same for the next rookie, but he’s a lot taller and even more athletic than most players who are now college linebackers.
Adarius Hayes
Height: 6’4″, 215 pounds
Position: Middle Linebacker
High School: Largo High School (Florida)
Class: 2024
Recruitment
It’s easier to ask which institutions haven’t offered Hayes. During practice on Thursday, May 12, Hayes was asked this question. He mentioned Clemson, LSU and Oregon as the only big schools he could think of that hadn’t yet offered. From coast to coast, this young man has already been hammered by college coaches.
He has already visited some schools like UCF (several times), Notre Dame (spring play) and a few others. He is also preparing to travel to Alabama and Georgia very soon for unofficial visits. Later this year, Hayes plans to visit several college football programs for unofficial game day visits. As a player, seeing him run helps explain why so many people love his skills.
Frame
He’s one of the longest inside linebackers out there. He is also very long at the hips which means his long legs help him chase running backs and wide receivers in open space unlike many other players at his height. Hayes hasn’t completely finished growing yet, either. Who knows, he could end up at 6’5” or 6’6”. This means he could end up on the edge, which is fine too.
Adarius Hayes still has plenty of room to add weight to his frame.
Athletics
The first category to note would be explosiveness. Hayes takes off with his first step. From a two-point position, it’s really surprising to see how fast this young man goes towards the ball carrier as with the following video:
In addition, Hayes offers good lateral movement. It’s the difference between being a first linebacker and an inside linebacker who can stay in the field on obvious passes. Hayes did a good job catching fast slot receivers and running backs after catching short passes.
Boom!
Hayes is a hitter. In fact, he only played part of the practice because his coach doesn’t want him hitting his own teammates during practice. He was a bit apart. Good idea. When Hayes lowers the pole, it’s a hard hit. He’s naturally explosive through his hips, and whether he’s in space or coming down during an inside zone play to meet the ball carrier, there’s going to be a thud that’s about to occur.
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Personality
He is a young man that everyone likes to be around. In today’s world where high hopes care about themselves, note that Hayes was happy to be with his teammates for the duration of practice and even asked for the following photo to be taken:
Hayes and his Largo High School teammates.
Long term potential
We really don’t know how good this young man can be. He’s naturally instinctive as a hitter, football player in general, and Hayes provides the raw athleticism and the frame to play in multiple positions. Even if he stays in the middle for the long haul, he could be a blitzer on obvious passes. His length would be a great weapon against quarterbacks trying to throw him over the top, and he’s long enough to keep offensive tackles away from his body on a passing motion.
Overall, if Hayes continues to hone his skills, he can be as good as he wants. It’s up to him to decide. This is the grind to get better from now on. He has NFL ability. Now it’s just a matter of seeing what it becomes. One thing is for sure, Hayes is among the top 25 National prospects for the Class of 2024, at the very least. There’s no doubting that after seeing Hayes in spring training. It’s a special talent.
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