College Football Recruiting: RB Justice Hayes Commits To Notre Dame

The decision has finally come for one of the most coveted prospects from the state of Michigan, and it comes as no surprise to those who have been monitoring the situation closely for the last few weeks. 

Dan Feldman of the Flint Journal was the first to report that four-star running back Justice Hayes, ranked as the No. 15 RB on Scout and the No. 5 APB on Rivals, has committed to Notre Dame. 

Hayes 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. Notre Dame must have made such an impression on Hayes that he decided to bypass his original plans and make his commitment on Friday morning rather than wait any longer. 

"It was a combination of [Notre Dame] 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."

Hayes' commitment is another huge addition to Note Dame's recruiting class, which is looking particularly strong on offense. The Irish now have three offensive lineman rated in the top 10 at their position, the No. 2 tight end in the country in Ben Koyack, and of course Hayes.

Take a look at the other schools Hayes was considering and what prompted his decision. And like always, we've got analysis of the situation down in South Bend.

The Finalists

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MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 26: Members of the Michigan State Spartans wait to enter the field of play before a game against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 26, 2009 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Because Hayes grew up as a Michigan State fan, most experts and fans assumed that he was bound to commit to the Spartans, but childhood dreams took a back seat to the reality that it might not necessarily be best for him to attend MSU. 

After months of house calls, phone calls, and letters from different universities, Hayes began his tour over the last few weeks and quickly narrowed his options down to five choices. 

The finalists, in no particular order, were Michigan State, Michigan, Northwestern, Iowa, and Notre Dame. Each school offered something him different opportunities on and off the field. 

At Michigan State he could follow his dream, at Northwestern he could attend one of the best academic universities in the country, at Iowa he would follow in the footsteps of Shonn Green at a school regularly competing for BCS bowls, and at Michigan and Notre Dame he would have the chance to play for two of the most storied programs in the history of the sport. 

At the end of the day, Notre Dame offered Hayes the most of what he was looking for. 

The Top Four Qualities: Breaking Down the Options

When Hayes was making his decision, he broke it down into four key categories of importance, but two stood out above the rest. 

First came what would have the greatest effect on his life outside of football: education. This was something that his parents had stressed to him from day one of the process, but even at 17 years old Hayes seemed to understand the significance of this. 

"[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 a 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."

The second most important aspect of his decision was the ability to play for an elite program in the national spotlight. During an interview before his announcement, Hayes seemed more excited about this aspect than anything,

"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."

The other two factors were playing time and how he would be used in the offense. 

Of all of his top choices, it was clear to Hayes that Notre Dame lived up to his criteria more than the others. 

What Hayes Brings to the Table

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 pounds, 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, but he can be a great weapon in the flats or on screen patterns as well. 

Where Does Hayes Fit in with the Irish?

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 speedster 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, but Irish fans will point out that Cameron Roberson shouldn't be overlooked too quickly.

Roberson is either a three-star fullback or a four-star running back depending on where you're looking, and while my recruiting associate Bryan Kelly is very high on him, I personally have my doubts.

Either way, at Cincinnati, "the other" Brian Kelly rotated his backs frequently, so even if Hayes isn't able to secure the No. 2 spot as a true freshman, he'll be in the mix for a good number of touches. He brings so much to the table, though, that the thinking here is he beats out Roberson and even pushes Wood down the stretch. 

By 2013, the Irish backfield will belong to Hayes. 

Where Does Notre Dame Go from Here?

Now that Notre Dame has its running back locked up, there are still a few key areas to address, but it looks like they might be done in the backfield.

The Irish did not offer too many scholarships to running backs for 2011, and most of their top targets have either committed to another program or scratched the Irish from their lists. Hayes should serve as a deterrent for any blue-chip back still considering Notre Dame. 

But he'll serve as even more motivation for the No. 1 receiver in the country to follow him to South Bend and commit to Notre Dame. Kasen Williams has the Irish in his top 10, and they're expected to make the cut for the top five soon.

A key factor for Williams will be his education; he plans to major in business, and Notre Dame is one of the top business schools in the country. 

Based on his recent comments, it appears Notre Dame has made quite the impression on Williams on and off the field. When he makes his decision later this year, picking the Irish is a distinct possibility. 

On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame can use as much help as they can get in the secondary, particularly at safety. They might already have four-star safety Eilar Hardy locked up, but you can never have too much support back there. 

Another of the team's weaknesses is its pass rush, and to this point its 2011 recruiting class is lacking defensive linemen, so expect the Irish to pursue the likes of Ray Drew, Aaron Lynch, and Brennan Scarlett. 

There's no doubt that Williams is the team's top priority now, and his addition would really make for a stellar offensive class.