Kentucky DL Josaih Hayes Bounces Back After Devastating Injury

Josaih Hayes was a decorated recruit, playing the best football of his career ahead of his final season at Kentucky. That’s when a twist of fate derailed those plans.

One year ago, Hayes twisted his ankle during a pass rush drill. He received the worst possible news, a torn Achilles.

“It was pretty tough, frustrating, to say the least. You put all the work in during the offseason, watch hours and hours of film, really get your body in the best shape, and then a freak accident happens and it sets you down. That’s frustrating,” Hayes recently told KSR.

The injury was a major blow to the Kentucky defensive line, losing an explosive nose guard with three years of significant experience. For most, that would have been a season-ender. Hayes had other plans.

“I didn’t give up. It’s an Achilles injury, so you never really know, especially with the position I play on the defensive line. It’s different for each position with that type of injury, so I just stayed focused, continued to pray, and rehabbed hard,” he said.

Hayes’ persistence paid off and he was able to play in the final three games of the season. He recorded nine tackles and had a TFL in the season finale. The driving force behind him throughout the process was his teammates.

“I just wanted to finish out with my class that I started with. Octavious Oxendine, Tre’vonn Rybka, and Deone Walker going to the league, I just wanted to finish with them, to let them know that they can count on me. It was motivating to get back for those last three games.”

Hayes will get one more shot to finish his Kentucky career on a high note. He’s surrounded by a new cast of characters, with three experienced players from the transfer portal. The other nose guard, David Gusta, quickly opened eyes during spring practice, but defensive line coach Anwar Stewart is still expecting a lot from his most experienced player.

“He’s a big, strong kid. He can two-gap, be that guy in the middle to take on two blockers, and just be an ass-kicker in the middle. That’s what you need,” Stewart said. “Most championship teams, they have very violent, really good guys up front that play freaking hard. They just get after ’em. That’s what we need from him. We need to get back to that.”

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