2026 3-Star Safety Karaijus Hayes Decommits from Vanderbilt

The Sarasota, Florida native had been committed to the Commodores since April of this year.

2026 3-Star safety Karaijus Hayes | Credit @rockoutrai2x on Instagram

Vanderbilt received a bit of bad news on the recruiting trail this week as one of its members of the 2026 recruiting class officially announced his decommitment from the Commodores.

3-Star safety Karaijus Hayes from Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida decommitted from Vanderbilt on Wednesday, September 1, according to Rivals.

🚨BREAKING🚨 Safety Karaijus Hayes has decommitted from Vanderbilt, @adamgorney reports.

Read: https://t.co/25ssEQ6P0H pic.twitter.com/226saD1Sy1

— Rivals (@Rivals) October 1, 2025

Standing at 6-foot, 170 lbs., Hayes is ranked as the No. 97 player at his position in the class and the No. 114 player in the state of Florida, according to Rivals. He had been committed to Vanderbilt since April of this year, but prior to his commitment, held offers from the likes of Miami, Colorado, Georgia Tech and many more.

While it is certainly a loss for the Commodores' 2026 recruiting class, Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt staff have done an excellent job in securing highly touted talent and still hold commitments from two other defensive backs, 3-Star safety Chris Tangelo and 3-Star cornerback Collin Flanigan.

Hayes is the second player in the 2026 cycle to announce his decommitment from the Commodores, joining 4-Star cornerback Caden Harris who flipped his pledge from Vanderbilt to Georgia in June of this year.

As of now, Vanderbilt sits at No. 43 in the nation for the 2026 recruiting cycle, up nearly 30 spots from where it finished in 2025, according to Rivals' Industry Ranking. Despite missing out on two talented player in the aforementioned Harris, and now Hayes, Lea and the staff have compiled one of the strongest classes in program history, and still look to be trending in the right direction.

2026 Commitments

1. ATH Daniel Vollmer, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. - Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 02/05/2025)
2. QB Michael Mitchell, Jr., 5-foot-11, 185 lbs. - San Francisco, California (Committed 09/21/2024)
3. EDGE Joey Quinn, 6-foot-5, 260 lbs. - Chicago, Illinois (Committed 03/26/2025)
4. IOL George Haseotes, 6-foot-3, 295 lbs. - Naples, Florida (Committed 04/28/2025)
5. WR Kahden Smith, 6-foot-2, 185 lbs. - Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 05/08/2025)
6. DL Daryl Campbell, 6-foot-2, 300 lbs. - Katy, Texas (Committed 05/10/2025)
7. RB Izayah Lee, 5-foot-11, 190 lbs. - Lancaster, Texas (Committed 06/07/2025)
8. S Chris Tangelo, 6-foot-4, 195 lbs. - Potomac, Maryland (Committed 06/08/2025)
9. TE Adam Gehm, 6-foot-6, 235 lbs. - Harmony, Pennsylvania (Committed 06/09/2025)
10. CB Collin Flanigan, 6-foot-2, 170 lbs. - Oxford, Mississippi (Committed 06/10/2025)
11. EDGE Jace McCallum - 6-foot-4, 220 lbs. - Harrisburg, North Carolina (Committed 06/11/2025)
12. WR Keeyshawn Tabuteau, 5-foot-11, 165 lbs. - Chattanooga, Tennessee (Committed 06/17/2025)
13. TE Tilden Riley, 6-foot-5, 211 lbs. - Orangeburg, South Carolina (Committed 06/28/2025)
14. OT Tripp Skewes, 6-foot-7, 300 lbs. - Englewood, Colorado (Committed 07/01/2025)
15. OT Mitchell Smith, 6-foot-6, 320 lbs. - Picayune, Mississippi (Committed 07/04/2025)
16. RB Evan Hampton, 6-foot, 208 lbs. - Owensboro, Kentucky (Committed 07/15/2025)
17. OT Pulelei'ite Primus, 6-foot-4, 245 lbs. - Midland, Texas (Committed 07/19/2025)

2027 Commitments

1. QB Luke Babin, 6-foot-2, 185 lbs. - Woodville, Texas (Committed 09/25/2025)

Check out the Vanderbilt Football Recruiting Tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 class and beyond.