Pitt's Dayon Hayes Officially Enters Transfer Portal

The former Pitt Panthers star is officially in the transfer portal.

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers defensive end Dayon Hayes' exit from the program was messy but now it is complete and everyone can start to move on.

According to a report from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Hayes is now officially in the transfer portal, ending his time at Pitt for good. Hayes entered the portal as a graduate and will begin looking for his new home to play out the remainder of his college career.

Pitt starting DE Dayon Hayes is in the portal as a graduate. He had 45 tackles, a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble last season.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) April 16, 2024

Hayes' decision to transfer from Pitt was enough to rile up Panther fans on its own and that's before his comments about the state of the team motivating him to leave became public. Chris Carter of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that Hayes said Pitt was currently in a "developmental stage" and he doesn't "believe we can win now."

Hayes issued an apology to Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi and his teammates for those comments later that night.

Hayes was one of the most disruptive players along the defensive line for the Panthers last season, but his numbers and that of the whole unit lagged behind what this program has become accustomed to seeing from it's front seven. Hayes led the team in tackles for loss with 10.5 and was third in sacks with 4. He made 45 total tackles and defended four passes.

Hayes leaves behind a thin defensive end room. He was projected to start this season alongside Kansas State transfer Nate Matlack, but now, with fellow veteran Nate Temple out for the season with a lower body injury, it falls upon an inexperienced group comprised of Jimmy Scott, Sincere Edwards and others to fill in the gaps.

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