Virginia Wins Commitment of Talented 2024 Edge Rusher Jewett Hayes

Hayes chose the Cavaliers over offers from Iowa, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Duke, and Cincinnati

Virginia beat several Power Five programs to earn a key recruiting win in the class of 2024 on Thursday as talented Cincinnati edge rusher Jewett Hayes announced his commitment to UVA in a social media post. Hayes picked the Cavaliers over offers from Iowa, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Duke, and Cincinnati. 

Committed 🧡💙 #GoHoos |#UVAStrong ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Yj5YSAcsQx

— JewettHayesIII (@JewettHayesIII) August 3, 2023

A 6'4", 210-pound athlete who plays both tight end and defensive end at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Hayes projects as an edge rusher at the next level. Hayes already had offers from seven major conference football programs when UVA defensive ends coach Chris Slade and the Cavaliers jumped in with an offer on May 22nd. Virginia hosted Hayes for an official visit in early June and, two months later, Hayes made his verbal commitment to UVA. 

Hayes is the son of former NFL tight end Jonathan Hayes as well as the younger brother of Jaxson Hayes, an NBA basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. His mother Kristi was also a standout college basketball player at Drake University. It's clear that athletic genes run strong in the Hayes family and Jewett Hayes routinely uses his speed and athleticism to get to opposing quarterbacks, as seen frequently in his junior year highlights in the video below. 

Jewett Hayes is the 13th recruit to verbally commit to the Virginia football recruiting class of 2024:

• offensive lineman Benjamin York (Burke, VA)
• athlete Ethan Minter (Chester, VA)
• tight end John Rogers (Alexandria, VA)
• offensive lineman Grant Ellinger (Naperville, IL)
• wide receiver Christian Zachary (Saint Matthews, SC)
• defensive end Chase Morrison (Roswell, GA)
• cornerback Jaylin Lackey (Snellville, GA)
• safety Cedric Franklin (Marietta, GA)
• wide receiver Triston Ward (Deerfield, MA)
• safety KeShawn Adams (Avon, CT)
  
• cornerback Kevon Gray (Fairburn, GA)
• defensive lineman Tyler Simmons (Windermere, FL)
• defensive end Jewett Hayes (Cincinnati, OH)

See updated profiles for every verbal commit in UVA's 2024 recruiting class here: Virginia Football 2024 Recruiting Class Updated Verbal Commits

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