Hayes aims to resurrect D-line prowess
If Pitt football wants to prove its 3-9 finish in 2023 was a fluke of a bad year — and not a bad sign of a new normal — it must get back to the strengths that lifted the program during its best times under coach Pat Narduzzi. After the Panthers’ 10th spring practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Tuesday, that was a significant point of discussion for Narduzzi.
Of the many things that encompasses, none look more vital than the Panthers’ need to resurrect their pass rush. After four consecutive seasons between 201922 of finishing with at least the third-most sacks in the country or better, Pitt’s pass rush dipped to just 31 in 2023, which was only good enough for seventh best in the ACC. It was the fewest number of sacks tallied in a season by Pitt since recording 23 in 2017.
While former defensive line coach (2018-23) Charlie Partridge was not to blame, he did move on to a new job as the Colts defensive line coach in the NFL. That led to Pitt’s hiring Tim Daoust, who has brought his approach to the group through a different light.
“We see our guys attacking a bit more,” Narduzzi said Tuesday. “It’s a different voice in there. We’re knocking people back, and that’s something I love to see. Sometimes you want to change — and Charlie Partridge was a great coach; you don’t get any better — but hearing a different voice a different way, we can see our guys come off the ball a little more aggressive.”
But even more important to a new coach at the position is the leadership of the group. That job falls squarely on fifth-year senior Dayon Hayes, a starter in 2023.
“My first year starting, I thought it would be a walk in the park,” Hayes said. “But it ain’t. I’m a little nervous out there. But going into my second year as a starter, things are going to be very different.”
Last year, the Panthers’ leading sack producers were linebacker Shayne Simon and defensive end Samuel Okunlola, both with five sacks. But Simon’s eligibility ran out and Okunlola entered the transfer portal.
“Dayon’s done a great job,” Narduzzi said. “He’s grown up a little bit. He’s still a kid at heart, but he loves to play the game and plays hard.”
Narduzzi said the bigger reason for the lack of sacks wasn’t necessarily the pass rushers. It was more about the elements around the pass rush that limited opportunities.
“We know sacks are important,” Narduzzi said. “We didn’t get many last year when we saw so much more of the run. When you’re down by seven and they can run at us, nobody is going to be aggressive. It’s one thing to not score on offense, but when they grind it out and run on us, that hurts as far as getting sacks.”
Hayes, a 6- foot- 3, 260pound former four-star recruit from Westinghouse, takes on a leadership role — a shift from being just one of the guys to being one of the players everyone looks to as an example.
“I’m at the front of the line at every drill,” Hayes said. “I hustle at every drill, run to the ball, do most of the things to be serious. That’s what I have to do as a leader. It’s hard because everyone’s looking at you. Usually, I can just make everyone laugh, but now, they’re looking at you every day [for leadership].”
While Narduzzi highlights other elements to Pitt’s game being the biggest reason for the lack of passrush production, Hayes has taken the offseason to look at himself and what parts of his game he feels he must improve the most.
“I started evaluating myself and my get-off,” Hayes said. “I was playing too conservative. That’s my goal this spring is to get off the ball and put it on for game day. It’s more of a mindset. It doesn’t matter — just go. Good things happen when you go.”
But even deeper than just his technique or his work ethic, Hayes has focused on faith in Christianity. He remarked Tuesday about how he and his family always believed in God but weren’t regular churchgoers. That’s something that he’s changed in recent months.
“I’ve been changing,” Hayes said. “I’ve been going to church. I’ve been going to Bible study every Wednesday at my friend’s house. I’ve been trying to change stuff. It helps me a lot. I have
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the Bible app and I’ll listen to it in the shower. I’m focused, and God’s helping me.
“I knew I was lacking something and I didn’t know what it was,” Hayes said of his reason to focus on his faith. “I just said, ‘Let me go to church’ and I’ve been going for a couple months. So I love it. I got my Bible yesterday and I’ve been happy. I knew there was a God and I knew there was something. But I just didn’t know how to connect.”
Johnson’s transition
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Nahki Johnson came to the Panthers as a four-star 2021 recruit who looked to develop as a defensive end. But over time, he’d yet to see any significant playing time as part of the Panthers’ defensive rotation. This year, Johnson has made a switch to play defensive tackle in Pitt’s spring practices and apparently has found a better fit there.
“It’s a permanent move,” Narduzzi said of Johnson’s switch. “He’s doing a nice job. He’s got that [Calijah] Kancey ability to be twitchy at the three-technique. He’s got a chance to be pretty good. We like what we see.”
Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 275pound former star from West Mifflin, had been talked about as a future gem on Pitt’s roster but hasn’t fully developed. He registered just three tackles last season and only has one sack in his 20 games over three seasons. But even Hayes sees something different in Johnson with his position switch.
“He’s got something,” Hayes said. “He’s got a little twitch to him that’s very different and will definitely help him. Anyone who moves from defensive end to defensive tackle is going to be faster.”