Three-star DE Jonah Hayes is fourth Wildcat commit in three days
Northwestern landed its third commitment of the weekend and fourth in the last three days on Sunday, when three-star defensive end Jonah Hayes announced his pledge to the Wildcats.
Hayes, from Ohio powerhouse Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, took an official visit to Northwestern on the weekend of May 31.
He picked Northwestern over Virginia. He named those two programs as his finalists on June 19. Four days later he was a Wildcat.
A 6-foot-6, 215-pounder, Hayes has elite athletic bloodlines. His father, Jonathan Hayes, played 12 years in the NFL as a tight end, and his mother, Kristi, was a scholarship basketball player at Drake. His brother, Jaxson, was a first-round draft pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and plays for the Los Angeles Lakers; his sister, Jillian, plays college basketball at Cincinnati; and his other brother, Jewett, plays defensive end at Virginia.
Hayes told WildcatReport that Northwestern was a good fit after he picked up an offer last month.
"[I'm looking for] a school that can build me as a person," he said. "In football and outside of it, and in faith. A spot I can call home... So far, from what I've heard, [Northwestern] matches up pretty well."
Hayes had 14 tackles last season, according to Moeller's website, and helped the Crusaders to a 10-5 record and a berth in the state semifinals.
Hayes joins running back Ronny Johnson and defensive tackle Tanner Jumpp, two official visitors this weekend, who committed on Friday, and tight end Noah LaPorte, who announced his verbal on Thursday.
He is the second defensive end in Northwestern's 2025 class, joining legacy commit Caden O'Rourke. With two ends and two tackles (Mason Mayne and Jumpp), the Wildcats are likely done with defensive line recruiting in this cycle.
Northwestern’s 2025 class now has 16 members. Hayes' commitment gave the class a bump to 38th in the national rankings by Rivals.