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FSU's Hayes Entering NFL Draft

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By SCOTT CARTER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State junior linebacker Geno Hayes is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. Hayes, who had not attended classes since the spring semester started Monday, made his announcement this morning.

''This has been the toughest decision I have ever had to make,'' Hayes said in a statement released through the school. ''I would first like to thank Coach [Bobby] Bowden and Coach [Chuck] Amato and the rest of the coaching staff for giving me all the tools I needed to become a great football player.

''I would also like to thank my teammates, fellow FSU students and fans for supporting me, and most of all, my family for always showing me love, guidance and support.''

A two-year starter, Hayes finished the season with 80 tackles, second on the team behind Derek Nicholson. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Hayes rated at the fourth-best junior linebacker in the nation despite Hayes (6-foot-2, 223 pounds) being slightly undersized.

Hayes used his speed to finish the regular season with 17.5 tackles for loss, second in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind Virginia's Chris Long. He also had five sacks, garnering praise from defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews for his toughness.

''He's a playmaker,'' Andrews said late in the season. ''I don't know if he's been through a tackling drill since the first of the year because of an injury. You've got to be really, really mentally tough to perform when you can't actually go through the fundamentals.''

Hayes made headlines off the field, too. The week of the Florida game, Hayes said that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow ''was going down.'' The Gators didn't pay much attention, rolling up 541 yards on the way to a 45-12 victory.

In the week leading up to FSU's game against Alabama in September, Hayes made a mental mistake he regrets, one that included getting Tasered. With FSU off the weekend following a win at Colorado, Hayes and teammate Joe Surratt were arrested outside Potbelly's, a popular student hangout on campus.

Hayes was charged with assault on an officer, resisting arrest without violence and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors. He was benched for the first quarter of the Alabama game and faced other disciplinary punishment from Bowden and linebackers coach Amato.

''It doesn't surprise me that Geno decided to go to the NFL,'' Bowden said Wednesday. ''I know he has the ability to play at that level. It is just a matter of time. I wish him the best of luck. We will miss him.''

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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