Duke wide receiver Hayes Sutton enters Transfer Portal

Duke Blue Devils wide receiver Hayes Sutton has entered the Transfer Portal. He previously played for the Brown Bears.

Sutton previously transferred to Duke ahead of the 2023 season as a graduate transfer from Brown. There, he was a star in the Ivy League. However, he didn’t see action during this past season with the Blue Devils.

At Brown, Hayes Sutton spent four years, with the 2020 season being canceled due to COVID-19. In 2021, he was Third-Team All-Ivy League and in 2022 he was Fourth-Team All-Ivy League. He was also the recipient of Brown’s Charles E. Young-Hillhouse Ltd. Award, which is given to a willing and enthusiastic worker among Brown student athletes.

Sutton has 118 career receptions for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also occasionally returned punts and kickoffs at Brown.

Hayes Sutton played high school football at Norcross (GA), where he was an unranked recruit in the 2019 cycle.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Duke and the Transfer Portal

The Duke Blue Devils lost head coach Mike Elko to Texas A&M following the 2023 season. He was then replaced by Penn State defensive coordinator and former Miami head coach Manny Diaz. With that change, the roster has experienced a lot of turnover in the Transfer Portal.

Duke currently has the 67th-ranked Transfer Portal class, according to the On3 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That class has seen eight players transfer into the program and 10 players, including Hayes Sutton, transfer out of the program.

The largest and most notable loss that Duke suffered was starting quarterback Riley Leonard, who left for Notre Dame. However, he’s not the only one. Six of the players who are transferring out of Duke have found homes at Power Five schools, though none of them have followed Elko to Texas A&M.

On the other side, the Blue Devils have brought in eight players. One of those players, quarterback Maalik Murphy, is coming from a Power Five school in Texas. Three are coming in from Ivy League schools with another two on top of that coming from the Group of Five. Then, Duke has two players coming in from the FCS ranks.

Offense was a clear focus for Manny Diaz in the portal, bringing in a new quarterback who is expected to start for the Blue Devils. He also brought in four offensive linemen and a wide receiver.