Talented 2022 Athlete Gets Long Awaited Notre Dame Offer
As Notre Dame continues to extend offers in the 2022 class, Irish Breakdown caught up with the most recent offer, 2022 athlete Dallan Hayden out of Memphis (Tenn.) Christian Brothers.
Notre Dame and running backs coach Lance Taylor offered Hayden this past Thursday, but it has been a long-time coming for the Tennessee product.
“I was so excited when the offer came in,” said Hayden. “I have been waiting for this one for a long time, it’s huge for me.”
The 5-11, 190-pounder plays both sides of the ball for Christian Brothers. As both a running back and cornerback, Hayden makes a major impact on both sides of the ball. Last season for the Purple Wave, Hayden tallied 81 carries for 466 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, and caught 12 passes for 131 yards. On defense, Hayden added 27 tackles and seven passes defended.
Given his immense talent as a two-way player, Hayden has seen a lot of attention come his way recently, but no offer as meant as much to him as Notre Dame’s.
“The football program at Notre Dame stands out to me,” Hayden explained. “As a kid, you see schools like Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, Clemson, and dream of going there. Notre Dame plays a national schedule every year, they are always in the Top 25 and always have a chance to make the playoffs.”
Being as coveted of an athlete as Hayden is, there are plenty of schools in the running for his commitment. Some of his top offers include Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida State and Texas A&M. While stressful at times, the Memphis athlete is taking the time to have fun with it all.
“I’m definitely enjoying it,” Hayden said of his recruiting process. “I always wanted to have the chance to play football at the next level, so it’s really fun to be getting offers and getting calls from coaches all the time.”
As he hears different pitches from coaching staffs around the country, Hayden goes into it knowing what he is looking for in a program.
“I want them to have a solid football program, consistently winning 9 or 10 games a season,” Hayden explained. “I also want a coaching staff I feel close with that I feel like I can remain friends with down the line after I am done with football.”
Another big priority for Hayden in his recruitment is the quality of the education. Both of his parents have instilled an appreciate for academics into him since he was young, and he knows the value of a college education.
“My mom is a teacher and she has two degrees, so she has always told me that academics always have to come first,” Hayden explained.
You may recognize Hayden’s father, Aaron Hayden, who played football for Tennessee and played against Notre Dame in 1991. The elder Hayden rushed for 2,061 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Volunteers and eventually ended up playing in the NFL for multiple seasons after being drafted in the fourth round in 1995.
While Hayden’s father’s alma mater has major interest in him, Dallan has not yet decided if he wants to be a legacy or not. Aaron actually was committed to Notre Dame at one point but ended up de-committing later in his recruitment. Not so ironically, Tennessee and Notre Dame also look to be two of the favorites now for Dallan’s recruitment.
Visits will play a huge role in the Tennessee starlet’s recruitment once COVID-19 begins to slow down. The first school on the list for Hayden to visit? Notre Dame.
“I am looking forward to being able to take visits as soon as possible,” said Hayden. “I would love to be able to come up to Notre Dame for a game.”
Given Hayden’s interest in Notre Dame and the need at cornerback and running back for the Irish, I expect Notre Dame to be a major player in his recruitment, as will the Volunteers.
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