2021 Football Roster
Jersey Number 14
Blake Hayes
- Position:
- P
- Class:
- Senior
- Height:
- 6-6
- Weight:
- 225
- Hometown:
- Melbourne, Australia
- High School:
- Brighton
Career Notes
- Illinois' all-time record holder in season punts inside the 20, season punts inside the 20 percentage, season 50+ yard punts, career punting average, career punt yards, career punts inside the 20, and career 50+ yard punts
- All-Big Ten honorable mention or better in all of his five seasons
- All-Big Ten third team or better in four of five seasons
- 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year
2021 Senior
- Senior CLASS Award All-American second team
- All-Big Ten third team (coaches)
- All-Big Ten honorable mention (media)
- PFF All-Big Ten third team
- Ray Guy Award semifinalist, one of the top 10 punters in the nation
- Senior CLASS Award finalist, one of the top 10 players in the nation up for the prestigious award
- Academic All-District
- NFF Hampshire Honor Society
- Academic All-Big Ten
- 68 punts, 3,068 yards (45.12 yards/punt), 34 inside the 20, 16 of 50+ yards, only two touchbacks on the season
- Illinois record 34 punts inside the 20
- Sixth in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation in yards per punt (45.1)
- Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week 11/8/21 following four punts inside the 20, including one that pinned Minnesota at their 2-yard line
- Career-long 80 yard punt against Purdue 9/25/21, the seventh-longest punt in program history and longest by an Illini since Ryan Tabloff’s 85-yarder vs. Purdue 10/25/1997.
- Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week following four punts inside the 20 against Nebraska 8/28/21
- Illinois team special teams MVP against Nebraska 8/28/21
- No. 5 NFL Draft punting prospect in the nation by Mel Kiper
- PFF Preseason All-Big Ten second team
- Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten third team
- Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten third team
- SAAC Vice President
- Ray Guy Award preseason watch list
2020 Senior
- All-Big Ten third team (media)
- All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches)
- Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
- Started all eight games at punter
- Illinois leader in career punting yardage (11,207)
- 42 punts 1838 yards (43.76 yards/punt), 16 inside the 20, nine of 50+ yards, only one touchback on the season
- Second on Illinois’ career punting average list (43.4 ypp)
- Illinois’ leader in career punts (258)
- Sixth-best single season punting average in Illinois history (43.8)
- Averaged 17 yards per carry after two successful fake punts at Nebraska 11/21/20 and at Northwestern 12/12/20
- University of Illinois Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
- Top NFL Draft punting prospect in the nation by Mel Kiper
- USA TODAY Preseason All-American second team
- Campbell Trophy nominee
- Athlon Preseason All-American second team
- Phil Steele Preseason All-American third team
- Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten first team
2019 Junior
- 2019 Big Ten Punter of the Year
- All-Big Ten first team (media)
- All-Big Ten first team (coaches)
- Associated Press All-Big Ten first team
- 77 punts, 3,437 punt yards (44.6 yards/punt), 32 punts inside the 20, 22 punts of 50+ yards, only two touchbacks on the season
- Led the Big Ten and ranked 18th in the nation in punting average (44.6)
- Illinois single-season record 32 punts downed inside the 20
- Illinois single-season record 41.6% (32/77) of punts downed inside the 20
- Illinois single-season record 22 punts of 50+ yards
- Illinois single-season record 3,437 punt yards
- Illinois single-season record low two touchbacks
- Illinois single-season record low 2.6% (2/77) touchback percentage
- Third-best single-season punting average in Illinois history (44.6)
- Second on Illinois' career punting average list (43.4 ypp)
- Fourth on Illinois’ career punting yardage list (9,369)
- Sixth on Illinois' career punts list (216)
2018 Sophomore
- All-Big Ten third team (media)
- All-Big Ten honorable mention (coaches)
- Started all 12 games at punter
- Averaged 43.6 yards per punt (62 punts for 2,701 yards) with 21 downed inside the 20-yard line
- Career average of 42.7 ranks second on Illinois career list
- 23rd in the nation in punting average (43.6) during the regular season
- Season average of 43.6 ypp ranks fifth-best in Illinois history
- Career-high four 50+-yard punts against South Florida 9/15/18
- Career-high five punts downed inside the 20 against Western Illinois 9/8/18
- Placed 11 punts inside the 20 in the first three games
- 53.4 ypp against Kent State was the fourth-best single-game average in program history
- Also served as primary holder for field goals and PATs
- Academic All-Big Ten
2017 Freshman
- All-Big Ten honorable mention (media)
- BTN.com All-Freshman Team
- Starting punter for all 12 games
- 77 punts, 3,231 yards (42.0 avg.), 10 punts of 50+ yards, 22 punts inside the 20-yard line on the season
- Voted team’s Dike Eddleman Outstanding Special Teams Player
- 42.0 yards per punt ranked fourth in FBS among true freshmen and was the ninth-best single-season average in Illinois history
- Ranked third in the Big Ten in punting average (42.7) and third net punting (40.0) in conference games
- 59 punts, 2,519 yards (42.7 yards/punt), eight punts of 50+ yards, 18 punts inside the 20-yard line during Big Ten games
- Booted season-long 64 yard punt at Ohio State on Nov. 18
- Made his Illinois debut in the opener against Ball State
- College debut was the first football game he ever attended
- Third-tallest punter in FBS (one inch shorter than Bowling Green’s Joseph Davidson and Houston’s Dane Roy)
High School
- Played Australian rules football for three years high school
- Captained the 2016 Brighton Grammar School AFL team
- Valedictorian
- High School Vice Captain
- ProKick Australia product
Personal
- Born Aug. 13, 1998
- Son of Ronan and Georgina Hayes
- One older brother, Max
- Chose Illinois because, “It gives me the best opportunity to be successful on and off the field. From great academic facilities and staff to a coaching staff with the most NFL experience, I couldn’t have asked for another school that has everything need to provide me with the best opportunity to succeed.
- Graduated with a degree in kinesiology
- Enrolled in the public health master's program
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