FOUR-STAR ATH
DALLAN HAYDEN
Hayden, who's the son of former Tennessee running back Aaron Hayden, said the Vols were one of the first teams to contact him just after midnight.
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Hayden, who's a junior at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tenn., said Ohio State first contacted him at midnight. About 15 minutes later, he received messages from Tennessee wide receivers coach
Tee Martin and defensive coordinator
Derrick Ansley.
The younger Hayden said Pruitt later reached out to him, too. Hayden said Pruitt sent him a graphic and "said, 'It's about time. Let's get this thing rolling.'"
Hayden received his first offer from the Vols in July 2018, before the start of his freshman year of high school, and he already has visited them several times. He's now being pursued by at least 25 schools, including Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ohio State, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
He's ranked the No. 300 overall prospect and No. 18 athlete in the 2022 class and the No. 10 junior from the state of Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite.