Pittsburgh defensive lineman Dayon Hayes (50) sacks Duke quarterback Riley Leonard (13) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won 28-26. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
For the second time this offseason, head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have landed a former Pittsburgh defender.
The Buffs also added another veteran offensive lineman.
On Sunday, defensive lineman Dayon Hayes and former Texas offensive lineman Payton Kirkland announced their verbal commitments to the Buffs.
“I WANT IT ALL #SkoBuffs,” Hayes wrote on X.
Kirkland simply wrote, “Let’s work” in his X post.
Hayes played four seasons at Pitt, appearing in 39 games, with 12 starts. He will be a fifth-year senior with the Buffs, using his bonus year granted to all players from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his time with the Panthers, he posted 81 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
After playing a reserve role his first three years, Hayes started 11 games this past season, recording career highs in tackles (45), TFLs (10.5) and sacks (four). He also had four passes defended and a forced fumble.
Coming out of Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh in 2020, Hayes was a four-star recruit. According to his Pitt bio, Hayes was “the Pittsburgh City League’s most heralded recruit in at least two decades.”
He had 23.5 sacks in his senior year of high school and 49.5 in his last two years.
At CU, Hayes will be reunited with former Pitt teammate Samuel Okunlola, a defensive lineman who joined the Buffs in January.
Kirkland played one season at Texas
He was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, coming out of Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando. He had more than 50 scholarship offers, choosing Texas over Florida, Miami, Michigan State, Oklahoma and others.
Two young Texas football fans look up at Texas players, Jaydon Chapman, left, Payton Kirkland, center, and Kelvin Banks, Jr., right, after an NCAA college football game against Wyoming, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Texas won 31-10. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)
Listed by Texas at 6-foot-6, 350 pounds, Kirkland did not appear in any games during his true freshman season with the Longhorns. He will have four years of eligibility remaining as he comes to CU.
Kirkland is the sixth transfer addition to the offensive line this offseason for the Buffaloes.
In high school, Kirkland was selected to participate in the 2023 All-American Bowl. He was also named to the All-Metro Orlando team as a senior in 2022. Primarily a tackle in high school, he was moved to guard at Texas.
Kirkland’s uncle, Perry Harrington, was a running back who played collegiately at Jackson State and was a second-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1980.
View more on
BuffZone
2024-04-21 21:44:45
#Buffs #add #transfers #trenches #BuffZone
