Hayes' addition has meaning for Ledbetter
ATLANTA – The addition of graduate transfer Jay Hayes is going to result in some new responsibilities for Jonathan Ledbetter on Georgia’s defensive line.
Although Ledbetter has occasionally lined up as an outside linebacker before , the Bulldog senior said the presence of the former Notre Dame starter is going to allow him to receive even more reps at the position this fall.
With Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy now perfecting their craft in the NFL, the timing could not be more perfect.
“I’m excited. With him here I’m going to be able to play a little more outside linebacker now that he’s going to be at defensive end,” Ledbetter said. “It’ll be good. We’ll be able to go big up front, have a close to three 300-pound D-linemen and at DE. I’m at 280 right now, and I can play at that. It’s good to set edges so we can play big up front when we play those types teams.”
Head coach Kirby Smart hopes Hayes fits in and contributes as well some recent Bulldog grad transfers in recent years.
Last year, punter Cam Nizialek enjoyed a stellar campaign, while Tyler Catalina started most of the 2016 season at left tackle in Smart’s first year at Georgia. Along with Hayes, the Bulldogs also added punter Landon Stratton who joined the program as a grad transfer from Murray State.
“I think you’re always trying to improve your roster, trying to improve your team. We’ve been very fortunate to have some guys come in and do that.
Now, we’ve had guys come in didn’t and we had a kicker (David Marvin) last year who didn’t do that, but you’re always working to do that, to make the right decisions for your team. But as far as what I saw from those two, I saw a whole lot,” Smart said. “I saw video of their games and certainly thought they gave us depth at positions where we really needed help, they fit the pieces of the puzzle and I felt that was really important.”
At Notre Dame, Hayes registered 27 tackles last fall for the Fighting Irish, including a season-high seven against Georgia during the Bulldogs’ trip to South Bend last September.
His decision to join the Bulldogs came a week after he originally announced he was transferred to Notre Dame before changing his mind after visiting Georgia for the annual G-Day game.
“That’s a bad man. He works really hard. He comes through a great college football system at Notre Dame, it’s just a different type of mentality to have, especially a guy who graduated and decided to come back, use his last year of eligibility to try and do something special,” Ledbetter said. “I hosted him before he decided to commit, he had committed to Oklahoma, but I got to meet up with him, talked to his folks, they’re great people, he’s got a daughter, he’s just really driven. He wants to do something special this year and I’m glad to have him on board.”
Hayes was a former four-star prospect out of Poly Prep in Brooklyn, N.Y., the same school that produced right tackle Isaiah Wilson.
Ledbetter smiled that he may have had a little bit to do with Hayes’ decision to join Georgia.
“I had a little something to do with it, but ultimately a man has to make his own decision,” he said. “He told me it felt right, felt at home. He said he visited other schools, Alabama, Oklahoma, and of course those are big-name programs and really successful, but he said he came to Georgia and felt at home. All the guys on the team will tell you the same thing.”