College Football Recruiting: Will RB Justice Hayes Commit to Notre Dame?

The time has finally come for one of the top prospects from Michigan to announce his college commitment. Four-star running back Justice Hayes is ranked as the No. 15 RB on Scout and the No. 5 APB on Rivals.

He was originally expected to make his announcement sometime during his senior season, after he'd had the opportunity to monitor the success on and off the field of each of his finalists before coming to his decision.  It appears that one school made such an impression on Hayes that he's decided to bypass his original plans and make his commitment on Friday at 11 a.m. 

"It was a combination of one school just jumped out and really hit me in the head and I finally knew where I wanted to go, and that was I was getting tired of the recruiting process and the media and stuff," Hayes said. "At a certain point you can only take so much, and I think I've reached that point."

While Hayes is sure which school he will be attending, the rest of the world, including the winner of his recruitment sweepstakes, will have to wait until tomorrow.

Of the five finalists, most experts predict that Notre Dame will be the selection when Hayes makes his call tomorrow morning. 

The other finalists include Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan State, and Michigan.

Hayes decision came down to four key factors: playing time, how he'll be utilized, the chance to play for an elite program, and most importantly, education. 

Let's explore what each of these schools have to offer and predict who will get the call on Friday and who will be left out in the cold. 

 

Education: The National Universities Rankings

With education being the most important part of the equation, it appears that Notre Dame and Michigan have the advantage based on Hayes' comments, even though Northwestern is the best academic school of the bunch. 

"The academics, that's number one with Notre Dame," Hayes said. "Both [Michigan and Notre Dame] are great academic schools. I really can't go wrong. If the football part does not work out that's where my life starts. I'll get a job and have kids and do the family thing and be a success at it."

But education isn't just important to Hayes, it's the key factor his parents have stressed from day one of this process. 

"[My parents] just want me to go to school and get a great education," Hayes stated. "That's basically what they preach: education, education, education. So I definitely have that in mind and I feel the same way about it. I just want to go to school where I'll be set when I get done with college. That's basically what I am really thinking about, me getting a great job coming out."

With that in mind, here's where each of Hayes finalists rank among the US News 2010 National Universities Rankings:

Northwestern: 12th 
Notre Dame: 20th
Michigan: 27th 
Iowa: 71st 
Michigan State: 71st

Potential Playing Time: The Most Touches

At Notre Dame. the top two running backs,  Armando Allen and Robert Hughes, will be gone in 2011, with Cierre Wood likely to be the starter entering his junior year.

Wood was ranked as the No. 6 running back of the 2009 class, and the speeder should have the starting spot on lockdown for a year or two. Of the other backs on the roster, none bring more to the table than Hayes. He'd likely serve as the team's primary backup as a true freshman, with two to three years as the starter.

Michigan, Hayes' speculated second choice, doesn't offer nearly as friendly of a playing situation.

Not only are all of their top running backs expected to be back for 2011, but the future primary back of the bunch, Fitzgerald Toussaint, will only be a sophomore. Add in Michael Cox, who'll be a junior in 2011, and 2010 four-star recruit Austin White. So where exactly does Hayes fit into the mix?

Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern all offer a situation somewhere in between. They have good mixes of veteran backs and young backs, and while their certainly will be competition for playing time, Hayes would have an opportunity to get into the mix early.

Whether he's given a chance to start is a different story.

If he wants the most playing time, it really appears that Notre Dame is his best option. This school hasn't offered many scholarships to running backs for a reason. They want to be the most enticing of an option as possible.

How Will Hayes Be Used: Did Iowa Do the Best Selling?

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Hayes is a nifty running back, who uses his vision, elusiveness, and deadly cut-back ability to mask his shortcomings in the speed and size department. At 5'10" and 180 lbs, he's definitely on the small side. But, he plays like a bigger player and really excels moving in space.

His best quality is probably the way he's able to avoid tacklers and juke opponents with subtle, slight shifts in movement without wasting time and energy the way other backs do. For someone who lacks top-end speed, it helps him to gather up quick yards in space and get downfield before he can be caught from behind. 

Hayes has tremendous field vision and seems to pick out his decisions before the lanes are even there. It makes him a dangerous between the tackles rusher, even though he's undersized. 

He's the type of back that can handle the lion's share of carries and will do most of his damage in the rushing game. All of his choices have had success, with running backs fitting his mold, particularly Iowa and Notre Dame. 

But, it appears that the Hawkeyes have really caught his attention in that regard. 

"The situation [at Iowa] is great," Hayes said. "They are coming off of a BCS win against Georgia Tech. They are going in a great direction. Their running backs are known for going to the league and having success—like [New York Jets running back] Shonn Greene. It is just a great situation out there."

Playing for an Elite Program: Does Notre Dame Offer the Best Exposure?

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When you consider Hayes' views on playing for an elite program, you almost have to wonder if Northwestern and Michigan State, and even Michigan to a certain degree, really have a chance of landing him. Saying that education is his top priority and actually meaning it are two very different things. 

Hayes has been clear about his desire to attend a school where he'll receive a first-class education, but that might be his parents talking through him. When he really gets down to discussing football, that's when we saw this young man's heart. 

"When I really looked at it, man, I want to be at a big-time program...I want to be among the elite, the top dogs, the program that everybody is talking about," Hayes said. "That will kind of help me go out there and strive for excellence. I want to be on one of the best stages."

Of course, Iowa has been the most successful program of Hayes' finalists. But Notre Dame's history, national exposure, and with Brian Kelly as head coach, the momentum for the Irish is growing. And it appears Hayes is buying into it. 

"The exposure is crazy [at Notre Dame]," Hayes said. "Coach [Brian] Kelly is the new coach, but he has a winning resume...He is going to be doing great things for his team coming up."

The Prediction: Reading Between the Lines

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When all the experts agree, the obvious conclusion is that everyone is either missing the point or onto something. Notre Dame is the team that keeps popping up regardless of where you're looking. and a lot of that has to do with Hayes' own comments about the programs. 

If you examine everything he says about all of his finalists, what stands out the most is how excited he gets about Notre Dame and how genuine his affection for the school appears to be. 

He may have grown up as a Michigan State fan, but that doesn't appear to be part of the equation anymore. Hayes is being mature about this, he's thinking it through, and has come to his decision.

If you're talking about education, exposure, and playing time, the Irish offer Hayes the complete package. 

Hayes did say that he never would have thought he'd end up at the school he's decided to attend. That doesn't sound like Michigan State, but it certainly sounds like an old rival thathe probably grew up hating: Notre Dame.