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Top 100 defensive back set to attend Penn State's game against Michigan

Mug-Shot 4x4by:Ryan Snyder•11/09/23•

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St. John's College High defensive back Tariq Hayer. (Credit: Ryan Snyder | Blue White Illustrated)

Penn State’s visitor list for this weekend’s game against Michigan continues to grow. As of Thursday morning, Blue White Illustrated has confirmed over 70 prospects who are expected to attend, including a deep list of talented 2025 prospects who already hold an offer from James Franklin and his staff.

Now, another of the region’s best players has confirmed he plans to be in attendance Saturday in St. John’s College High defensive back Tariq Hayer. Listed at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, Hayer is listed as a cornerback by On3 but could also play safety at the next level.

A native of Upper Marlboro, Md., Hayer is ranked just outside the Top 50 players nationally at No. 52 overall by On3. He earned an offer from cornerback coach Terry Smith back in April 2022 when he visited for the first time. Hayer then returned to State College for two more visits, although both of them were in 2022, making this his first visit to Penn State in over a year.

Hayer has earned more than 20 scholarship offers so far. In addition to Penn State, he’s taken unofficial visits to Cincinnati, Clemson, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Both the Bearcats and Badgers hosted him for games last month.

Scouting Director Charles Power on Tariq Hayer

Following the updated On300 in October, Blue White Illustrated caught up with On3 Scouting Director Charles Power to discuss a handful of Penn State targets. Hayer made one of the bigger moves among the top players in the region, climbing 61 spots from No. 113 to No. 52.

Below is Power’s explanation for why Hayer moved up in the rankings.

Charles Power: Tariq Hayer has been playing a lot of safety so far this season at St. John’s, so I think it remains to be seen where he’ll end up positionally. But we feel like he’s pretty well-rounded at this point. He ran [the 40-yard dash] in 4.54 seconds electronically on the camp circuit. He also showed some very good coverage instincts when we got to see him at Future 50. That’s now transferred over to his junior season.

Also, seeing him play safety, we’ve gotten to see some physicality. He comes downhill and does not shy away from contact. He squares up and drives through ball carriers, so he’s pretty well-rounded from a skill-set perspective at defensive back.

I think the biggest question is where he will land positionally. He’s a guy who could end up being ranked as a safety, and that’ll likely be impacted by where he’s being recruited. But as of now, he’s well-rounded enough and has shown versatility that he could play anywhere in the secondary.

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