Pittsburgh defensive lineman Dayon Hayes, 50, sacks Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, 13, during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. did. Pittsburgh won 28-26. (AP Photo/Keith Slakočić)
For the second time this offseason, head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes have acquired the former Pittsburgh defender.
The Buffs also added another veteran offensive lineman.
On Sunday, defensive lineman Dayon Hayes and former Texas offensive lineman Peyton Kirkland announced their verbal commitments to the Buffs.
“I want all #SkoBuffs,” Hayes wrote to X.
“Let's get to work,” Kirkland simply wrote on X's post.
Hayes played four seasons at Pitt, appearing in 39 games and starting 12 of them. He will be a fifth-year senior with the Buffs, taking advantage of the bonus year given to all players starting in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his time with the Panthers, he recorded 81 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
After playing in a reserve role for the first three years, Hayes started 11 games last season and set career highs in tackles (45), TFLs (10.5) and sacks (4). He also had four passes defended and forced a fumble.
Hayes was a four-star recruit who graduated from Westinghouse High School in Pittsburgh in 2020. According to Pitt's biography, Hayes was “the most notable recruit in the Pittsburgh City League in at least 20 years.”
He had 23.5 sacks as a senior in high school and 49.5 in his final two years.
At CU, Hayes will be reunited with his former Pitt teammate, defensive lineman Samuel Okunlola, who joined the Buffs in January.
Kirkland played one season at Texas.
He graduated from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando and was a four-star freshman in the class of 2023. He had over 50 scholarship offers and chose Texas over the likes of Florida, Miami, Michigan State and Oklahoma.
The 6-foot-6, 350-pound Texas-approved Kirkland did not play in a game in his true freshman season with the Longhorns. He has four years of eligibility remaining before enrolling at CU.
Kirkland becomes the Buffaloes' sixth offensive line transfer this offseason.
In high school, Kirkland was selected to play in the 2023 All-American Bowl. He was also selected as a senior member of the All-Metro Orlando team in 2022. He was primarily a tackle in high school, but switched to guard at the University of Texas.
Kirkland's uncle, Perry Harrington, was a running back who played at Jackson State University and was drafted in the second round of the 1980 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
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