Senior Bowl Adds Texas A&M Aggies Defender 1 Day Before Game

The Senior Bowl made a late addition to its roster of NFL Draft hopefuls, adding a Texas A&M defender with 18.5 career sacks after the final practice.

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Dayon Hayes (50) reacts after making a tackle during the fourth quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Kyle Field. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Senior Bowl is one of the best pathways for NFL Draft hopefuls to build the momentum for a professional career. Competing against some of the top talent in the class, players practice, drill and play against each other while meeting and working with NFL personnel.

Despite practices ending on Thursday, Jan. 29, the Senior Bowl made a late addition to its roster, adding Texas A&M Aggies edge rusher Dayon Hayes. Hayes will participate in the Senior Bowl game on Saturday, Jan. 31.

Dayon Hayes Joins Senior Bowl Roster 1 Day Before Game

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Dayon Hayes (50) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Hayes has been busy early this offseason. Previously, he participated in another college all-star game — the American Bowl — earlier this month, where he started on the edge and was a standout performer.

During the game, he was the highest-graded run defender on the Warhawks with a PFF grade of 82.7. He also recorded two pressures, a sack, and tied for a game-high three run stops. His offseason activity is not slowing down, though, as he prepares for another all-star event as a very late addition.

The Senior Bowl has already had three practices, taking a day off before the weekend game on Jan. 31. Despite this, Hayes accepted an invitation on Jan. 30 to join the all-star game, with just one day of preparation, joining several Aggies in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl.

While it is not yet clear who he is replacing on the roster, Hayes is likely taking the place of a player who is either dealing with an injury or opted out of the game following the week’s practices. Hayes will have another chance at a strong performance as he tries to win over NFL scouts.

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Dayon Hayes (50) celebrates during the game against the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Hayes is an experienced defender with over 1,500 total defensive snaps. He played four seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers, one with the Colorado Buffaloes, and one with the Aggies. He has career numbers of 18.5 sacks, 33.5 tackles for a loss and 115 total tackles in 56 games.

Coming out of the Steel City as a high school recruit in the Class of 2020, he committed to his hometown school as the No. 4 recruit in Pennsylvania and a top-200 player nationally, according to 247Sports.

With Pitt, he played 39 games over four seasons, with potentially his best season coming as a senior in 2023. He had 10.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, starting 11 games and recording a career-high 44 pressures. He transferred to Colorado for a fifth season and appeared in four games; however, he took his redshirt and committed to Texas A&M in 2025.

With the Aggies, he split snaps (339 defensive snaps) with T.J. Searcy (395) on the edge opposite of Cashius Howell (591). He did not start a single game but accumulated 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and 29 pressures as a rotational edge rusher. He was second on the team in total pressures, behind only Howell.

Texas A&M Aggies defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim (11) and defensive end Dayon Hayes (50) react during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Hayes will be the fifth Aggie on the 2026 Senior Bowl roster, joining offensive linemen Trey Zuhn III and Dametroius Crownover, tight end Nate Boerkircher and linebacker Scooby Williams. All four are on the National team roster, though it is not yet clear which team Hayes will join.

The Senior Bowl kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET in Mobile on Jan. 31 and can be watched on NFL Network. After all five Aggies at the Shrine Bowl opted out of the game following the week’s practices, this will be just the second chance to watch Texas A&M’s former stars compete in a pre-draft all-star game.