For the bulk of 2023, Adarius Hayes was open and public about the program he wanted to play his college ball for -- Florida.
But at the tail-end of the recruiting process, including for the last weekend of the open period when he was in Coral Gables for an official visit, Miami became a much larger part of the conversation surrounding the blue-chip linebacker out of Largo (Fla.) High School.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hayes followed up the chatter with an announcement for The U over UF, committing to Mario Cristobal's program after being pledged to Billy Napier's for nearly 11 months.
The No. 9 outside linebacker in the class of 2024 becomes the sixth Florida defection since November began and the second Rivals100 defender to flip elsewhere following Xavier Filsaime making the jump from the program to Texas on Monday.
*****
FINAL 2023 TEAM RANKINGS: Comprehensive (overall) ranking | High school/JUCO ranking | Transfer portal ranking
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
*****
What it means
Miami's late recruiting run continues within state lines as Hayes joins another recent flip in running back Jordan Lyle to join the fold this week. The duo makes up to seven current Cane commitments sitting within the Rivals100 ranking, up to four from the Sunshine State as of this afternoon. It's also another flip for The U, a strong theme at the tail-end of the 2024 cycle. Miami has now flipped seven prospects thus far, demonstrating elite closing ability from Cristobal while poaching talent from another rival along the way.
Hayes also helps to fill a positional need as a versatile linebacker, joining Cameron Pruitt and Booker Pickett at the position at this time. The commitment also allowed for Miami to inch that much closer to a top five spot in the Rivals team rankings, contending with Florida State for the top recruiting class in the state as National Signing Day wares on.
What Miami is getting in Hayes
Hayes is a long and rangy athlete at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds or so. He has considerable off-ball experience and excels within some of the modern asks of the game like running sideline to sideline and playing in space, while his frame and natural athleticism suggests he may be able to moonlight as an edge rusher depending on how he physically matures in the coming months and years.
The positional need, especially within Miami's class, appears to be much stronger as an off-ball linebacker projection. There, Hayes flashes as an explosive second level talent with a knack for making the big play against the run or the pass. When working downhill, he squares up and delivers punishment upon contact although he shows some finesse in occupying underneath zones. He has above-average coverage skill and can break on the ball better than most his size, though technique underneath will be refined in college.
Depending on how Hayes matures going forward, his positional projection could be tweaked or changed. He is near the 220-pound mark at this time and has plenty of room to add mass, so the Under Armour All-American may be best labeled as a hybrid linebacker capable of occupying any of the three modern roles at the position. His floor is as an off-ball backer, his ceiling may be on the weakside and somewhere in between he can pin his ears back and get after the passer.
