2017 Kentucky WR/SS CJ Hayes Gives Insight on Purdue Commitment

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

On June 29, Purdue got one of the top players out of the state of Kentucky when do-everything athlete CJ Hayes verbally committed to the Boilermakers.

Hayes is a high-impact player in football and baseball. During the 2015 season he helped South Warren High School to a 15-0 record and a 4A Kentucky state championship. The 6’3”, 205 pound, athlete was a two-way standout lining up at safety and wide receiver, where he is being recruited to play for Purdue. On the diamond, Hayes played centerfield batting around .360 helping his team into the semifinals of the state playoffs.

On June 19, Hayes narrowed down his list of double-digit offers to 10 then to four via RNG. Hayes’ Top 10 included Bowling Green (BGSU), Cincinnati, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Purdue, Syracuse, Toledo, Western Kentucky, and Western Michigan. His final four was “Purdue, Toledo and Illinois” with another “school that could slide in there is Michigan State.”

In a previous RNG interview, when asked about his criteria for his top schools, Hayes said, “Mainly it was the communication I had with the coaches.” The Boilermakers communication helped land one of the more versatile athletes in the nation with Hayes’ commitment being announced via a video short.

The Boilermakers now have seven verbal commitments to their 2017 class with six of the seven coming in June. The haul is highlighted by Hayes along with Tennessee running back Antwuan Branch (Clarksville) and California quarterback Nicholas Sipe (Villa Park).

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Hayes after his commitment to get his thoughts on how his pledge to Purdue went down.

Interview

CJ, first, congratulations on your commitment to Purdue.

“Thank you.”

What influenced you to commit to Purdue?

“My influence on Purdue was the relationship I have with Coach Parker, Coach Hazel, and Coach Malone, and the opportunity to play as a freshman with them having four seniors that are graduating. Also, the education you can’t beat.”

How did the commitment take place? Who did you commit to?

“Basically I just called Coach Hazel and told him I am committing today. I did the same to Coach Parker.”

What was the reaction of the coaches?

“Both of their reactions were the same, they were really happen with my decision and really happy everything worked out like it did.”

Is there a sense of relief, that to some extent, your recruiting process is over?

“Yes, there is a lot of relief because now I can focus on my senior year and try to win another state title.”

How will Purdue utilize your skills in their offense?

“They plan to use me as an outside X receiver which means a lot of one-on-one and deep balls to open up the field.”

The commitment video along with the Top 10 video were done really well. How long did the video take to film?

“It took about two or three days.”

Did you film the Top Schools short and your Commitment short at the same time?

“Yes, we filmed them maybe be a day apart just to make sure we got all that we needed.”

How far in advance did you commit to Purdue in relation to filming the video?

“Maybe a couple of days before we started to film I knew where I wanted to go.”

Do you still plan to take your visits during your senior season?

“Yes, I do plan to take my visits just because this is only going to happen one time so I want to enjoy it while I can.”

Do you have an idea where else you may take official visits?

“I really don’t know the schools yet. My family and I will have to figure that out later.”

Do you plan on recruiting other players to join you? Any names you can share with school?

“Yes, I do plan on recruiting. For example, DJ Edwards from Florida is one. I really don’t know much about him yet.”

How are you going to pitch the other players to join you?

“The way to do it is off plans of you playing early or as freshman. Purdue is a great school with new facilities and a great coaching staff.”

CJ, thanks for your time today and again, congrats on your commitment to the Boilermakers.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Hayes family; CJ Hayes with Purdue coaching staff.

Photo credit: Hayes family; CJ Hayes sporting Purdue jersey.