USC Loses 5-Star LB/DE Daelin Hayes in Wake of Steve Sarkisian Reported Alcohol Issues
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Once alleged alcohol abuse questions arose on Sunday leading to head coach Steve Sarkisian’s indefinite leave of absence from the USC Trojans football program, the fallout from his actions did not take long. Sunday night 5-star linebacker/tight end Daelin Hayes posted a tweet de-committing from USC.
The top recruit updated his status on Twitter posting, “At this time my family and I feel that it is in my best interest to de-commit from the University of Southern California and open up my recruitment process. I’d like to thank the USC Coaching (sic) staff for the opportunities that they have placed before me.”
Hayes has been back-and-forth playing high school football between Michigan and California and is now back in Michigan and is considered one of the top recruits in the nation regardless of position. The 6’4”, 250 pound, talent has over 20 scholarship offers from teams like Notre Dame, Tennessee, UCLA, Wisconsin, Alabama, Duke, Georgia, LSU, Arizona State, Penn State, Mississippi State, and Michigan State. As things could turn out, Hayes’ Skyline High School is in Ann Arbor where head coach Jim Harbaugh has turned around the fortunes of the Wolverines’ program instantly. Michigan has gone from unranked to the No. 12 team in the nation in the AP polls for Week 7.
Due to Hayes de-commitment, he could see a dramatic uptick in scholarship offers if he is truly open to the process unless he already has a top program or two in mind going forward.
In late September, three USC Class of 2016 recruits signed financial aid agreements locking the school to the players but not the players to the school. The three recruits were 4-star safety C.J. Pollard, 4-star offensive tackle Nathan Smith, and Hayes.
USC’s 2016 recruiting class, as it currently stands, is still loaded with top national talent. Torrance linebacker Mique Juarez is considered a 5-star recruit and Tyler Vaughns, Josh Imatorbhebhe, Trevon Sidney, Velus Jones, Michael Pittman, and Frank Martin are all considered 4-star recruits.
USC Trojans 2016 Commitment List (15)
SS C.J. Pollard, 6’1”, 180 lbs, Junipero Serra HS, Gardena, California
LB Jordan Iosefa, 6’2”, 216 lbs, St. Louis HS, Honolulu, Hawaii
LB Mique Juarez, 6’2”, 222 lbs, North HS, Torrance, California
DE Liam Jimmons, 6’4”, 240 lbs, Huntington Beach HS, Huntington Beach, California
DE Keanu Saleapaga, 6’5”, 270 lbs, La Mirada HS, La Mirada, California
DT Keyshon Camp, 6’4”, 275 lbs, Lake Gibson, Lakeland, Florida
OT Frank Martin, 6’5”, 300 lbs, Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, California
OT Nathan Smith, 6’7”, 264 lbs, Murrieta Mesa HS, Murrieta, California
TE Cary Angeline, 6’7”, 230 lbs, Dowingtown East HS, Exton, Pennsylvania
QB Matt Fink, 6’3”, 185 lbs, Glendora HS, Glendora, California
WR Josh Imatorbhebhe, 6’2”, 205 lbs, North Gwinnett HS, Suwanee, Georgia
WR Velus Jones Jr., 5’11”, 180 lbs, Saraland HS, Saraland, Alabama
WR Michael Pittman, 6’4”, 205 lbs, Oaks Christian HS, Thousand Oaks, California
WR Trevon Sidney, 5’11”, 160 lbs, Bishop Amat HS, La Puente, California
WR Tyler Vaughns, 6’2”, 175 lbs, Bishop Amat HS, La Puente, California
Photo credit: Daelin Hayes; Daelin Hayes with his mom, Lakeshia Neal, and Steve Sarkisian.