Top-100 safety Lagonza Hayward breaks down exploding recruitment, top schools

As Lyons (Ga.) Toombs County four-star safety Lagonza Hayward approaches his senior season, his college recruitment continues to explode.

Now owning around 30 offers, the impressive athlete has quickly become one of the most coveted prospects in the Peach State and in the country. Simply put, hard work is finally paying off for the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder.

“When you’ve put in so much work at something, and you’re finally getting noticed and people are finally looking at your craft, it’s kind of like a breather. Like, ‘oh I’m doing something right,’ now I’ve got to keep going now that I’ve seen that I can make it…it’s a motivation to keep pushing,” Hayward told On3’s Phillip Dukes on ‘The Five Star Flex’.

Hayward is now the No. 83 overall prospect and No. 9 safety in the 2025 On300. He’s also a top-150 recruit in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

With an August commitment in mind, Hayward is now beginning to work through an important chapter in his recruitment. Official visits to Florida State, USC, Alabama and Tennessee are locked in. The in-state Georgia Bulldogs recently offered and are now immediately in the mix, while UCF and North Carolina are also among those pushing for his pledge.

“When I commit, I have to be bought into the whole organization because in college football, coaches can be gone in a second. I want to love the atmosphere too and I will go where I feel I can fulfill my full potential,” Hayward told On3’s Chad Simmons.

Hayward breaks down interest from top schools

Hayward is yet to release an official list of top schools, but he broke down his interest in the aforementioned seven programs with Dukes:

USC: “Their approach to recruiting me. It was different. I’m chilling one day, the phone starts (ringing), I answer it, it’s one of the recruiters, he called me — ‘oh yeah Georgia boy we’re on that, you’re fitting to come to California!’ A week later, he flew out and gave me an offer. Flew out to my school … they check up on me on the daily. The relationship’s been built and is there. They’re cool people.”

FSU: “Florida State, dream school. Anquan Boldin, my dad played with him at Pahokee (High School), they were like best friends. I used to be on the phone with Anquan. My favorite school has always been FSU. When they came to talk to me at school, I was training. (FSU coach) pulled up, as soon as I saw the logo, jaw dropped. That was the realization moment…I’m really able to do this. Then when I went on the visit … it kinda hit hard.”

Tennessee: “Tennessee, I’ve got the best relationships with them. Hands down. They were the first big school to jump on me early. When they jumped on me, they’ve been applying pressure, sending mail, making graphics, talking to me every day. The recruiter, Danny O’Rourke, he’s doing his job. I’ve got a relationship with him that’s so tight, he’s like my uncle.”

UCF: “Coach (Alex) Mathis and Coach Addison (Williams), cool people. They came up and chopped it up with me in January. The atmosphere of UCF, I haven’t been down there yet, but I’m trying to get down there. I’m getting down there this spring, though. It’s been a positive relationship.”

Georgia: “I’m from Georgia. I play for the Toombs County Bulldogs, I live in Georgia, so everybody is like ‘oh, Georgia,” and then when I went up there — it was my first time ever going to UGA — they’ve got the best weight room in college football, their stuff is top tier. Coach T-Rob, he’s been recruiting me since he was at Bama. Me and him are tight.”

Alabama: “The whole way they went about (recruiting) me when the new coaching staff came in. The new staff came in, next week, they’re at my school, I didn’t know they were coming. I missed like the whole practice, sat there and chopped it up with them. They’re cool people and the whole new defensive scheme that’s coming in, that thing is great.”

UNC: “North Carolina was one of the schools that got on me early, too. Coach Mack Brown and Coach (Charlton) Warren, they treat me like family and I’m not even there yet. Coach Brown, he doesn’t really recruit a lot of safeties. So for him to take time out of his day to recruit me and for him to fly to my school … showing that they’ll do that, it’s like ‘okay.'”