Louisville football: 5 players standing to benefit from expanded roles in 2020

Isaiah Hayes – S

Redshirt senior 

2019 stats: 8 games played, 2 games started, 19 tackles (10 solo)

Isaiah Hayes was one of the late additions to the Louisville football squad, following his announcement that he would transfer as a graduate junior with two years of eligibility remaining from Arizona. To Louisville, he brought a few years of experience, positional versatility in the safety group, as well as the intelligence and football savviness you hope for from a former NFL player’s son.

During his time as a Wildcat, Hayes battled with a ton of injuries that limited his playing action, but was more than productive when he saw the field. He finished his career with 58 tackles (48 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, and one interception, before joining a Louisville team in desperate need of help at safety.

Unfortunately, Hayes battles with injuries lingered into his first season with Louisville causing him to miss four games on the year. But much like with Arizona, Hayes was a valuable asset to the Cards when he was able to be in the lineup.

His 19 total tackles don’t really stand out much when looking at the season as a whole, but in Louisville’s final two games of the season Hayes showed what he could provide when healthy; solid tackling, great coverage over top, and help on special teams.

The game that showed me Hayes could be more than a contributor was the bowl game against Mississippi State, much like what we saw from Boone. Playing in place of the injured Russ Yeast, Hayes played extremely well finishing the game with six total tackles, his highest production of the season.

With Khane Pass graduating, Hayes will now compete with fellow returnees Jack Fagot, Trenell Troutman, and Telly Plummer for the starting role entering the 2020 season. Hayes has a leg up in terms of experience over all of the players mentioned but his ability to stay healthy will ultimately define his role next year.

While the team only was able to get in seven total practices during their spring practice before watching it be one of many events canceled by the NCAA due to increasing fear of the rapid spread of COVID-19, Hayes was a guy who had every opportunity to prove he belonged with Yeast still out to injury.

Hayes showed late down the season he is more than capable of being apart of the safety rotation moving forward, but if he’s healthy I expect to see him develop into a key role next to Yeast. His ability to tackle and provide coverage over the top, as well as his leadership and football smarts, should prove to be valuable in 2020.