LB Adarius Hayes Commits to the Florida Gators
The Florida Gators may have missed out on securing the top of their linebacker board in the 2023 class, but that is far from the case in the early stages of 2024.
On Saturday during Florida’s Jan. 28 Junior Day, Largo (Fla.) linebacker prospect Adarius Hayes pledged himself to the Gators, giving coach Jay Bateman his second blue-chip prospect to kick off the cycle. He joins fellow second-level defender Myles Graham in the Gators 2024 commitment class.
Hayes is a versatile athlete at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds which works at both the inside backer position and off the edge for Largo High School. The explosiveness and power he displays when working from both spots are impressive for someone of his stature.
Alongside Graham, he would likely serve as the weakside option in the Gators' variant of a 3-3-5 base defense. Given his ability to diagnose rushes and pick through the trash in the second level to stone ball carriers in the hole, Hayes' eventual role projects to be at Bateman's inside linebacker spot at Florida.
His versatility, a staple of players recruited to shine in Patrick Toney's system, allows the Gators to be creative with their usage of him at the next level.
Upon arrival, no matter which position he eventually assumes full-time, Hayes will have to gain weight to endure the SEC talent he will face consistently. The transition to off-ball, however, would be much easier to realize early on than to edge rusher without beginning to do so before his enrollment at Florida.
The aforementioned duo spearheads a cycle that is garnering significant buzz with quarterback DJ Lagway.
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