Early Enrollee Profile: Georgia WR Yazeed Haynes
Another year, another massive early enrollee group for Georgia football. The Bulldogs welcomed 18 players to campus this January, on the heels of their second National Championship in as many seasons.
It’s well-known at this point how much enrolling early enhances a newcomer’s chances of playing in his first season. The benefits are many. Players get to get acclimated to college life, get a jumpstart on their education, and go through winter workouts plus spring drills.
Leading up to and into spring practice, which begins in a little over a week, DawgsHQ is profiling each of the players who joined the Georgia program in January. Next up is an out-of-state wideout who might surprise some people.
WR Yazeed Haynes
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 221 overall, No. 31 wide receiver, No. 2 in Pennsylvania
On3 Scouting: “Twitchy receiver with the athleticism and skills to develop into one of the top deep threats in the 2023 cycle. Has a slender build, checking in at over 6-foot-1, 165 pounds in the off-season prior to his senior year. Turned in strong performances on the college camp circuit, running sub 4.4 second marks in the 40-yard dash. Transferred that athleticism over to the field as a senior with a very productive final campaign.
“Hauled in 55 catches for 1,212 yards and 13 scores as a senior. Shows an easy, long stride with a high level burst. Consistently separates downfield on vertical routes. A smooth, fluid mover. Has made progress both as a route-runner and pass catcher. Makes some high-difficulty catches in traffic and shows the ability to track the ball over his shoulder. Also rips off long chunk gains after the catch. Did not face terribly stiff competition and will need to continue honing his technical skills at the position, but shows noteworthy athletic upside.”
The Story…
Georgia had to work hard for this commitment. Haynes hopped from school to school for a bit. Rutgers got him on board first but he flipped to Penn State over the summer. That was after he camped for the Nittany Lion staff, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, and got an offer.
Then Georgia got a look at him, extended and offer, and got him to flip a month or so later. It seems as if Athens was considered a destination for the four-star wideout because he never wavered after that. He shut it down and didn’t visit any other schools.
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Where Haynes fits…
The 6-foot-1 175-pound pass catcher is the type of all-around wideout teams are looking for these days. He has great speed, good size, and good run-after-catch ability. Haynes is a well-rounded player who can play either of the outside spots and he possesses the twitch and explosiveness to thrive in the slot.
He will get in where he fits in at Georgia because of that versatility. The Bulldogs will be in 12 personnel a lot in 2023, so he’ll probably be more needed on the outside. We suspect it’ll be at the Z-receiver/flanker position because the Bulldogs have some depth at split end.
Expectations this spring…
There’s a lot to learn. As is the case with a lot of players, the head start might not show up until preseason camp. We’ve heard some buzz on Haynes already. He’s a tremendous athlete with a competitive streak a mile wide. That’s going to come in handy as the Quaker State native tries to catch the coaches’ eyes in what has become a pretty deep receiving corps.
It’s going to come down to how well Haynes can adapt to the new system. Another factor is how quickly he can get big and strong enough to become an effective blocker. Georgia isn’t keen on guys who only want to catch passes.
