Colorado picks up Pitt defensive end transfer Dayon Hayes

Pitt defensive end Dayon Hayes' visit to Boulder this weekend was followed up with his commitment to the Colorado on Sunday.

Hayes comes to Colorado with a wealth of experience from his four years at Pitt where he totaled 81 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Last season, he recorded 45 total tackles, a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four passes defensed.

Hayes will be playing alongside a familiar face as well with defensive end and Pitt teammate Samuel Okunlola making the decision to join the Buffs in the winter.

USC had been the other program most in play for Hayes' commitment as he plays out his final season of eligibility, but now he'll join the Buffs and help solidify the defensive front under first-year coordinator Robert Livingston.

Rivals currently ranks Hayes as the No. 103-rated transfer in the cycle and a four-star prospect. As a high school recruit in the 2020 class, the newest Buffs' addition and Pittsburgh native held offers from programs around the country including Texas A&M, Ohio State, Illinois, Penn State, Michigan State and West Virginia among others.

The Buffs will continue retooling their roster this spring after losing over a dozen players to the transfer portal already this week. Deion Sanders and his staff brought in a handful of transfer targets for weekend visits, and the expectation is there will be replacements for the departing players brought into the mix in Boulder in short order.

Hayes is the first transfer to commit to CU since the portal opened on Tuesday. He is the fourth four-star transfer addition for the Buffs this offseason, and all four players play either along the offensive or defensive lines.

The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive lineman played in five games as a freshman in 2020 but will have the chance to exercise his COVID-eligibility year to finish out his career with the Buffs.

Matt Moreno contributed to this report.