I would say it's unbelievable to see that Dayon Hayes plans to enter the transfer portal but the truth is:
It's not. And we probably should have seen this coming.
Back in December, when all of the prominent Pitt players were announcing their returns, Hayes made a similar announcement. But his story didn't end there, because Hayes subsequently went back to the various NIL parties for a renegotiation, of sorts. Schools were still pushing for him, so a new deal was needed.
An agreement was reached and that seemed to settle things, but in light of those events, we should have seen this coming. It doesn't even seem like this is related to Charlie Partridge's departure, which would be the first assumption. Given that he was willing to walk not once but twice in December, while Partridge was still here, I would say Partridge's departure probably wasn't much of a factor. Maybe he could have helped convince Hayes to stay, but I'm not sure.
Because, really, what could Hayes be looking for? He's walking away from a featured role in one of the most aggressive, attacking defensive lines in the country. He's not going to find a better situation in terms of his role and how he'll be used. So clearly it was one factor, and I don't know Partridge - or any coach - could compete with that.
So we should have seen this coming. Maybe next time, we won't be (quite as) surprised.
It's not. And we probably should have seen this coming.
Back in December, when all of the prominent Pitt players were announcing their returns, Hayes made a similar announcement. But his story didn't end there, because Hayes subsequently went back to the various NIL parties for a renegotiation, of sorts. Schools were still pushing for him, so a new deal was needed.
An agreement was reached and that seemed to settle things, but in light of those events, we should have seen this coming. It doesn't even seem like this is related to Charlie Partridge's departure, which would be the first assumption. Given that he was willing to walk not once but twice in December, while Partridge was still here, I would say Partridge's departure probably wasn't much of a factor. Maybe he could have helped convince Hayes to stay, but I'm not sure.
Because, really, what could Hayes be looking for? He's walking away from a featured role in one of the most aggressive, attacking defensive lines in the country. He's not going to find a better situation in terms of his role and how he'll be used. So clearly it was one factor, and I don't know Partridge - or any coach - could compete with that.
So we should have seen this coming. Maybe next time, we won't be (quite as) surprised.
