Michigan State Transfer Wide Receiver CJ Hayes Schedules Syracuse Official Visit

The Orange is looking to add playmakers to its offense through the transfer portal.

Mike McAllister | Jan 11, 2022

Michigan State Transfer Wide Receiver CJ Hayes Schedules Syracuse Official Visit /

Syracuse will host Michigan State transfer CJ Hayes for an official visit the weekend of January 21st, his dad tells All Syracuse. Hayes is being recruited as a wide receiver by the Orange and has been offered, according to Hayes' father. The 6-2 wideout spent the 2017 through 2021 seasons with the Spartans and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Hayes came to Michigan State as a wide receiver, where he spent each season until being moved to safety right before the start of the 2021 campaign under the new coaching staff. Hayes is looking to move back to receiver at his next destination, which is where Syracuse wants to utilize his talents.

"I'm just excited to get up there," Hayes said. "I want to see the campus, see how everything looks, the Carrier Dome and everything else. Just curious to see what it's all like."

As a class of 2017 recruit out of South Warren High School in Kentucky, Hayes signed with Michigan State over offers from Purdue, Illinois, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina and several more. Hayes was originally committed to Purdue since the summer of 2016, but flipped to the Spartans right before National Signing Day. He was recruited to Michigan State by former Syracuse wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel.

After redshirting the 2017 season, Hayes had 14 catches for 154 yards over the next two seasons. He did not play in 2020 due to injury and played safety as well as special teams in 2021.

Hayes graduated as South Hayes High School's all-time leader in receptions (97), receiving yards (1,594), receiving touchdowns (27) and interceptions (10). During his senior season, he had 51 catches for 855 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hayes also accumulated five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

The last Michigan State transfer wide receiver worked out pretty well for Syracuse. Trishton Jackson accumulated 66 catches for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019 before leaving for the NFL.

Published Jan 11, 2022

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.