West Virginia Football Signs Georgia State Transfer Kicker Michael Hayes

Georgia State transfer kicker Michael Hayes joins several others in signing on with the Mountaineers on Friday.

Hayes transfer path to WVU was one of the quickest. He has now signed a grant-in-aid to transfer to WVU just five days after committing to the program.

Despite serving mostly as a punter during his time at Georgia State and only transitioning to a full-time place kicker role as well during the 2022 season, Hayes will be used to replace the recently retired Casey Legg for field goals, extra points and kickoffs while Oliver Straw will continue as the punter into his sophomore year in 2023.

Welcome to #AlmostHeaven, @wmhayesii!

✍️ » https://t.co/sTxEpS5dqm#HailWV pic.twitter.com/ITK2NxRMzp

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) January 13, 2023

Hayes converted 11 out of 14 field goal tries in 2022, highlighted by a 51-yarder. He has two more years of remaining eligibility. His booming leg that led him to average 41.5 yards per punt and connect on 60+ yarders is what made the West Virginia staff interested in Hayes.

WVSN spoke with Hayes soon after his commitment to WVU last week.

Michael Hayes Fell in Love with West Virginia Despite Interest from Other Major Programs

He opened about why he instantly decided WVU was the right place for him, his talks with head coach Neal Brown and special teams coach Jeff Koonz and even his thoughts about working with Straw.