Louisville football: 5 position battles to watch for this fall
By Jacob Lane
Free safety: Jack Fagot (R-Jr.) v. Isaiah Hayes (R-Sr.)
Another secondary competition that will take place during fall camp will come at safety as former walk-on Jack Fagot will compete with Isaiah Hayes for a starting nod next to Russ Yeast that was left vacant by the graduated Khane Pass.
As we detailed previously with the cornerback position, the secondary is still very much a work in progress with a lot of talented pieces. Both Fagot and Hayes had flashes of brilliance last season, with Fagot’s most notable play coming against Clemson when he picked off Trevor Lawrence, while Hayes come on late once he was healthy.
The experience advantage falls on Hayes who played at Arizona for two seasons before transferring to Louisville for his remaining eligibility. During his time as a Wildcat, Hayes produced 58 tackles (48 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, and one interception while dealing with a myriad of injuries.
Those injuries followed him last season but when he was healthy down the stretch of the season, Hayes was productive in place of the injured Yeast. While his 19 total tackles did nothing to stand out in the grand scheme of things, when you look at the box scores you see that Hayes produced at a high rate in the final stretch to the tune of 11 total tackles in the final two games against UK and Mississippi State.
With more time you should see Hayes produce at an even higher rate, where he’ll provide leadership, experience, solid tackling and good coverage skills as needed.
Don’t let the “former walk-on” tag that comes as a preface to anything mentioning Fagot fool you. Now on full scholarship, the rising redshirt junior was productive when he got onto the field last season and showed that he had the ability to play at an ACC level.
Finishing with 22 tackles in nine total games, including two as a starter, Fagot did a good job of providing coverage and sound tackling. With another offseason to learn the defense and get comfortable, Fagot should be one of many players who take a noticeable leap.
If I had to call it today, Hayes would be the starter next to Yeast, simply because of his experience of playing at the power five level and his push down the stretch last year. It’s clear that as his health improved, his game improved, and for a defense looking to take a big jump I think Hayes has the bigger impact as a starter.