Geno Hayes

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Geno Hayes
No. 54, 58, 55
Position:
Miami, Florida, U.S.[1]
Died:April 26, 2021(2021-04-26) (aged 33)
Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:Madison County (FL)
College:Florida State
NFL draft:2008 / Round: 6 / Pick: 175
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-ACC (2007)
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:
6
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Eugene Antonio Hayes (August 10, 1987 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional

2008 NFL Draft. He also played for the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars
in the NFL.

High school career

A native of

track & field, competing in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles.[5]

Hayes was listed as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, and ranked as the No. 3 outside linebacker prospect of his class, behind only Tray Blackmon and Ryan Reynolds.[6] Recruited by dozens of schools, Hayes took official visits to Georgia, Tennessee, Clemson, and Florida State. He committed to FSU on February 2, 2005, and was the seventh-highest graded recruit of the Seminoles' 2005 recruiting class, and the second-highest linebacker behind Derek Nicholson.[7]

College career

In his

true freshman season, Hayes played in all 13 games and was credited with 17 tackles, broke up one pass and had two quarterback hurries. While he played mostly on special teams, Hayes also saw time as a back-up for A. J. Nicholson at weakside linebacker. In a game at Clemson in November 2005, Hayes recorded a season-high three tackles and scored Florida State's only touchdown of the game, recovering a blocked punt in the endzone. He also had three tackles in the Orange Bowl loss to Penn State
.

With the graduation of Nicholson in 2006, Hayes replaced him at the weakside linebacker position, starting 10 of Florida State's 13 games. He only missed three games (Maryland, Boston College, Virginia) because of a knee injury suffered in the Seminoles' victory over Duke. He ranked fifth on the team in tackles with a career-high 59 stops despite missing three full games and most of the game against Duke when he suffered two sprained ligaments in his right knee while making a tackle in the first quarter. He also ranked third on the team with a career-high 12.0 tackles for minus yardage, behind Lawrence Timmons (18.0) and Everette Brown (13.5). In the Seminoles' Emerald Bowl win against UCLA, Hayes had a career-high of 12 tackles.

In his junior year, Hayes took over a leadership role in the Seminoles linebacker corps, after the graduation of Timmons and Buster Davis. Starting a weakside linebacker, he ranked second on the team in tackles (80) behind Derek Nicholson (99), first in tackles-for-loss (17.5), and second in quarterback sacks (5.0) behind Everette Brown (6.5). He was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick.[8]

Professional career

Described as a “smallish, athletic linebacker who makes plays all over the field,” Hayes was projected to be a fourth-round draft pick by Sports Illustrated.[9] He was drafted in the sixth round (175th overall) in 2008.[10]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split
20-yard shuttle
 Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft ++3⁄4 in
(1.85 m) 		226 lb
(103 kg) 		4.64 s 1.56 s 2.68 s 4.48 s 7.22 s 26+1⁄2 in
(0.67 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In his rookie year, Hayes appeared in nine games, mostly on special teams. In 2009, he started at weakside linebacker, replacing Derrick Brooks.

Chicago Bears

Hayes signed with the Chicago Bears to a one-year deal on April 19, 2012.[12]

Jacksonville Jaguars

Hayes signed a two-year, $2 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 13, 2013.[13]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2008 TAM 9 0 13 10 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2009 TAM 15 13 98 80 18 3.0 15 2 21 0 20 6 1 1 0 0
2010 TAM 16 16 82 72 10 4.0 16 1 41 1 41 6 1 0 0 0
2011 TAM 16 13 64 45 19 0.0 5 1 8 0 8 2 2 0 0 0
2012 CHI 15 3 16 14 2 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2013 JAX 14 14 77 58 19 1.0 2 2 39 0 28 4 1 0 0 0
2014 JAX 16 11 51 34 17 2.0 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
101 70 401 313 88 10.0 48 6 109 1 41 21 6 1 0 0

Personal life and death

On April 22, 2021, Hayes entered hospice care at his parents' home due to chronic liver disease with which he had been diagnosed two years earlier. He died at age 33 on April 26, 2021.[14] Hayes is survived by his wife Shevelle, his son Gemarri, and his daughter Skylar. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Greenville.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Remembering the life of Eugene Hayes 2021".
  2. ^ a b "State Champions in the Sunshine State". floridagridironpreps.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  3. Sun-Sentinel
    . Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Collings, Buddy (December 11, 2004). "Immokalee Wins State Title On Late Field Goal". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "Geno Hayes". trackingfootball.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  6. ^ "Rivals.com Outside linebackers 2005". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "2005 Florida State Football Commitment List". warchant.com. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Quince, Alexander (November 27, 2007). "FSU linebacker Hayes named to first-team All-ACC". WTSP. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  9. ^ "Eugene (Geno) Hayes". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  10. ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  11. ^ "Geno Hayes, DS #12 OLB, Florida State". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved September 23, 2013.
  12. ^ "Bears sign Hayes to boost LB depth". Chicago Tribune. April 20, 2012. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
  13. ^ "Jaguars Sign Geno Hayes". jaguars.com. March 13, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Laine, Jenna (April 22, 2021). "Ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Florida State Seminoles LB Geno Hayes, 33, in hospice care". ESPN. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Remembering the life of Eugene Hayes 2021".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Geno Hayes.
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