Rich Rodriguez Fired: Is Notre Dame Back In The Mix For Justice Hayes?

According to reports Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired after his third season with the Wolverines ended in an embarrassing 52-14 loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on January 1. 

The report comes after Rodriguez met with athletic director Dave Brandon earlier Tuesday, but is no surprise as speculation has been rampant over when, not if, Rodriguez's tenure with the program would come to an end.

No doubt the school's recruiting efforts will be affected by this, but while in most cases the loss of a head coach is construed as a negative, that might not be the case in this situation.

Still, generally when the head coach leaves, he's followed by at least a few key decommitments.

That has us immediately turning our attention to four-star running back Justice Hayes, who originally committed to Notre Dame over the summer before changing his mind and siding with Michigan.

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.

Hayes has been one of the most wishy-washy prospects in the country. He grew up a Michigan State fan, then committed to Notre Dame and most recently switched his commitment to Michigan in November. 

He's never seemed too sure of his decision though and if anyone is going to decommit in the wake of Rodriguez's firing, he's your guy.

That should have the Notre Dame coaching staff on the phones as we speak, trying to convince Hayes that he never should have left South Bend in the first place. 

But don't expect Notre Dame to be the only school calling. Michigan State was heavily involved in Hayes' recruitment as well and both schools have the need for a running back to fill out their 2011 recruiting classes. 

While Hayes has given no indication just yet as to how he feels about Rodriguez's dismissal from Michigan, it should be noted that the former Wolverines coach played a huge role in his recruitment to Ann Arbor.