Through nearly five years, Blake Hayes has been one of the best Illini at their respective position in program history. There's never been an off year for Hayes or even a down period. And the most impressive part is he's achieved all of his success in a foreign country, thousands of miles away from home and his family in Australia.

While Hayes knew the potential downsides of attending college in America, being so far from the place you know best still presents the most unique of challenges, especially during these formative years. But choosing the University of Illinois as his destination couldn't have been a better decision for Hayes as it's taught him the most about life.

"One of the main things I've learned is a lot of people have their arms open for you," Hayes said. "A lot of people here in this building, really want to help you. Living far from home, it's taught me a lot of gratitude and being thankful for the area that I'm in. Different people come from different backgrounds and this team is so diverse, and I've learned a lot of lessons on upbringings in America, and even different countries from some players and just to be thankful for the situation I'm in. Because it could be a lot worse, and this is probably as good as it gets. So just understanding those stories, and just the opportunity that we have is something that I'll definitely take with me."

Hayes immediately fit in with the Illini family when he arrived in Champaign in 2017. He connected with former Illini Zac Holman, who was also from Australia and a junior at the time, as well as James McCourt who was born in Ireland. Holman originally named the group "The Lads" as the three were all from other countries.

Having that support system helped assimilate Hayes quicker than he imagined. Holman and McCourt had been in America longer than Hayes had, so they helped teach him about the culture here and more about the game of football.

Hayes earned the starting punter job for his first season as an Illini, giving him even more time with a larger group of guys on the team. It didn't take long for the Illini to see his value as he excelled right away.

As a freshman, Hayes averaged 42.0 yards per punt and landed 22 punts inside the 20-yard line. By the end of the season, he earned a spot on the BTN.com All-Freshman Team and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media.

That first season was huge for Hayes as it helped him build confidence and his relationship with the team. Having those close bonds with the guys gave Hayes a second family to lean on when things get tough.

"The guys here are just super helpful," Hayes said. "Marchese took me to my first American Thanksgiving, because we don't have Thanksgiving at home. So that was fun. All those situations that come up, those are your close, close friends, so they kind of know what's going on. They know you really well, because we're with each other 24/7. So they know how to comfort you or deal with those situations and help you out, so that's been a big help for sure."

Sophomore and junior year only saw more improvement from Hayes. In 2018, he ranked 23rd in the nation in punting average (43.6) and already held the second-best career average in program history.

Despite his success, Hayes was dealing some challenges in his personal life. The Illini played USF at Soldier Field in 2018 and Hayes' parents were in attendance. Hayes recalls having a bad punt near the end of the game that, in his opinion, contributed to the loss. He went out to dinner with his family after the game and remembers being "really frustrated and just down in the dumps."

Following dinner, they went back to his parent's hotel room, where they broke the news that Hayes' grandfather had passed away just days before.

"I always try and look at a positive and that was a big moment for me to put things into perspective," Hayes said. "It's just a really big perspective shifter. Yes, there may be a bad punt, but there might be something else going wrong. And that was something that Coach Lig, my old coach always said, if you put your problems on a table, and everyone else did, you'd probably take yours away, which is something I've always kept from him that he's told me, and something that helps me get through really hard times. And even good ones, just to remind yourself that even at the highest of highs, there's people out there that might be not doing so good. So, it's important to check up on them and that kind of comes back to this coaching staff. That was a pretty big moment for me."

Hayes hadn't seen his grandfather in some time as he was away at school, making the loss even harder on him. But instead of letting it derail his focus, he used it as a motivator to always live in the present and be grateful for everything he's experiencing.

That motivation carried him forward and the following season, Hayes led the Big Ten in punting average (44.6) and was named the 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten first team after landing 32 punts inside the 20-yard line.

While Hayes was ready for one more season in Illinois, the pandemic changed his plans. Hayes said the 2020 season was "hazy" and never felt complete. Even on Senior Day last year, it didn't feel right when he thought about it being his last game as an Illini.

So, Hayes did what most of his classmates did and took the extra year of eligibility, but that meant he would go another several months without seeing his family. The last time Hayes saw his parents and his brother was the Redbox Bowl back in December 2019. And because of the virus, Australia enforced strict laws about leaving or returning to the country, making it nearly impossible for the Hayes family to reconnect.

But after 649 days apart, Hayes' parents surprised him at the Smith Center at the end of October. They have seen their son's last three games and will be at Memorial Stadium this Saturday for Hayes' true Senior Day.

"It's kind of the icing on the cake as an ending," Hayes said. "They brought me over here when I was a freshman, and I think the first game my dad saw was my freshman year against Wisconsin. And then they came towards the back end. But then we thought last year would be the last year, but then COVID hit, and we weren't sure if eligibility wise if we get an extra year. And then we did. So, I knew this would be my final final year and knowing that they could get over and see those last few games and be there for Senior Day is an awesome feeling."

This past year has by far been the hardest for Hayes. On top of not seeing his family for almost two years, Hayes was dealing with the effects of the pandemic that most college students were feeling.

But for Hayes, the new coaching staff got him through a lot of those hard times. Culture has always been important to Hayes and the kind of environment head coach Bret Bielema and his staff instilled has been like no other.

"All of these coaches have their door open," Hayes said. "Even coaches that I wouldn't associate with. For example, Coach Buh, he doesn't coach me at all, but he's talking to me about punting, asking me about punting. He wants me to help his son out with punting, just like small stuff. He doesn't have to do that; he doesn't have to ask about it. He doesn't have to tell me that his son's interested, but it's just something that helps build a dynamic. And I've noticed that among all the staff, that they're very friendly, and they pay attention to how we're feeling mentally, which is a big thing. And it's not necessarily all about football at the end of the day. It's very important, obviously, but how we're doing in school, how we're feeling physically, mentally, those are all big factors as well, which they continue to ask and make a priority for us."

Having this last year has been instrumental in Hayes' growth on the football field and it's given him the chance to learn from Bielema and coach Ben Miller. Hayes has taken full advantage of the experience and has continued to excel.

Not only is Hayes a Ray Guy Award semifinalist for 2021, but he will also end his career as the program leader in punting average, total punts, punt yards and punts inside the 20-yard line. Hayes will forever be engrained in Illinois history.

But it's almost time for Hayes to look at a legacy behind Illinois. Coming into the season, Hayes was Mel Kiper's No. 5 NFL Draft punting prospect. While Hayes is ready to give the pros a shot, he's also not afraid of ending his sports career if the NFL doesn't work out. He's always been passionate about healthcare and is excited about the chance to pursue a life outside of football, no matter where that is.

"Next goal will be to have a crack at the NFL and then see how that all turns out," Hayes said. "I don't know if I'll move back, I don't know if I'll live here. It's just a bunch of unknowns, but I kind of say it's a good problem. It's an exciting opportunity not to know what's going to happen. I have a rough idea, I kind of want to go into the hospital setting post-sports, so we'll see if that lands. What I've learned from my brother is that he was a prospect, didn't get drafted and then sports kind of ended pretty early for him. And now he's doing a job that I kind of envy. I think he got caught up in sports is like the be all, end all, but obviously everyone has an expiration date on their sport career. So once that's all done, being excited for the next step and what that opportunity will bring is pretty exciting."