Dayon Hayes puts his faith up front while approaching final season at Pitt

During his three months on the job, Tim Daoust has worked hard to mentor talented defensive end Dayon Hayes.

At practice, Pitt’s defensive line coach pushes Hayes, his star pupil, to hit the blocking sled harder and with better technique.

Pitt defensive line coach Tim Daoust keeps the guys on their toes (literally) on a Tuesday morning. pic.twitter.com/9L3sbkeOWd

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) April 2, 2024

In softer tones, either before or after practice, he meets with him in his office.

“We had a little discussion the other day about me just being more serious,” Hayes said Tuesday. “That’s the stuff I have to do since I’m the leader.”

A fifth-year senior who will turn 23 five days before Pitt’s opener, Hayes is the leader of the rebuilt defensive line. That being the case, he realizes the need to push himself beyond previous efforts, and he found the best way to do that was well within reach.

He went to church and Bible study every Wednesday.

“I’ve been trying to change and be more locked in on life,” said Hayes, a senior from Westinghouse. “It helped me a lot. I have the Bible app, so I always play it in the shower. I’m focused. God is helping me.

“I knew I was lacking something in life. I just didn’t know what it was. My mom believes in God. We didn’t really go to church, though. But I knew there was a God. I knew there was something. I just didn’t know how to connect.

“I was hesitant. I didn’t know which way to go, what to believe. There are so many religions. SoI went to church and said, ‘I’m going to stick to this path. Pray every night. Read the Bible every day. He’s helping me every day.’ ”

With his new outlook and the lessons taught by Daoust and former line coach Charlie Partridge, Hayes could become an element in restoring the ferocity to Pitt’s pass rush.

The Panthers recorded only 31 sacks last season, which was fourth in the ACC and 27th in the nation. Good but not nearly good enough. A total of 22 of the sacks were recorded by players who are injured or no longer on the team. The sack total was Pitt’s lowest since 2017, the year before defensive coordinator Randy Bates arrived, and far off Pitt’s average of 49.7 per season from 2019-22.

A good pass rush can change games, but coach Pat Narduzzi said it’s difficult to get sacks when the other team has the lead.

“We didn’t get many last year, but we saw so much more run than we saw pass,” he said. “If we can be more explosive on offense and play complementary football, offense scores more and we can get up by 14 on someone, sacks will come. It’s hard to get sacks when they’re handing the ball off to the tailback.”

Hayes senses the urgency of the situation as he approaches his final season.

“I’m waking up every day, thinking how can I be better,” he said. “There’s a lot of pressure on me, me being a senior. Being in front of the line every drill, hustling, trying to run to the ball, doing stuff that (Daoust) wants me to do.”

Among players currently on the team, only Hayes (four), defensive end Bam Brima (three) and linebacker Solomon DeShields (two) recorded sacks last season.

”It’s hard because everyone’s looking at you. Usually, I was looking at Calijah (Kancey), Pat Jones, (Rashad) Weaver,” Hayes said, referring to previous Pitt defensive linemen. “Now, (young players) are looking at me. I have to accept it and I’m willing to take that.

“My first year starting (2023), I thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but it ain’t. I was a little nervous out there, but coming into my second year starting, it’s going to be very different and way better.”

Hayes said Daoust coaches with “more emotion, more rah-rah” than Partridge, who left for the Indianapolis Colts.

“Partridge is like that, too. Partridge is like a dad. Daoust is like an uncle, more laid-back. There are pros and cons to both of them. They’re both incredible coaches. I love both of them.”

He said Partridge told him to ring his phone in Indianapolis anytime he has a question or wants to talk.

“He’s a call away. Any advice I need, I can just pick up and call him,” Hayes said. “He’s a good man, and I’m happy for him.”

Narduzzi didn’t want to lose Partridge, but he notices a change on the defensive line.

“I see our guys attacking a little bit more, a different voice in there, just more aggressive up front,” Narduzzi said. “We’re knocking people back. That’s something I love to see. I really like what we’re doing up front.

“Sometimes, I say change is good. Charlie Partridge is a great coach. They don’t get any better. But hearing a different voice, a different way, I see our guys coming off the ball. It’s a different style of what we’re doing, which is more aggressive with penetration. I can feel it, sitting back there in the pocket.”

Narduzzi said he watched as Hayes grew up in a football sense.

“Dayon’s done a great job (this spring),” he said. “He’s growing up a little bit. He’s still a young child. He’s still a kid at heart, but he loves to play the game. I see more consistency out of him, the highs and lows sometimes in his game, I want to see those highs all the time for him to be an elite player in the ACC.”