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