MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University football coach Neal Brown has announced that Michael Hayes, a 5-9, 189-pound, junior kicker/punter from Florence, South Carolina, has signed a grant-in-aid and will transfer to WVU from Georgia State. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
 
Michael Hayes, r-Jr., K/P, 5-9, 189, Florence, S.C./West Florence/Georgia State
 
2022 – Georgia State
·       Played for coach Shawn Elliott at Georgia State
·       Used as a kicker and punter who also handled the team's kickoffs 
·       Played in 12 games and made 11-of-14 field goal attempts, hit 41-of-42 extra point attempts and averaged 42.0 yards on 56 punts with a long punt of 57 yards
·       Also had 69 kickoffs for 4,433 yards with 47 touchbacks
·       Had three or more touchbacks in 11 of the 12 games, including six against Southern Miss and five in three games
·       Eight of his punts went for 50 yards or more, 18 resulted in a fair catch and he placed 17 inside the opponents' 20-yard line
·       Hit two field goals in three games and at least one in eight games
·       Finished as the team's leading scorer with 74 points, including 11 against Georgia Southern and 10 at James Madison
 
2021 – Georgia State
·       Named to the Pro Football Focus All-Sun Belt team
·       Averaged 41.2 yards per kick on 59 punts
·       Had a career long 66-yard punt vs. UL-Monroe
·       Top games included 46.0-yard average on four punts vs. Army, 45.5 average on six punts vs. North Carolina and 45.2 average on six punts vs. Arkansas State
·       Outstanding on kickoffs after taking over midway through the season
 
2020 – Georgia State
·       Averaged 40.4 yards on 50 punts in his first season, net of 39.6
·       Had eight kicks of 50 yards or more and nine punts downed inside the 20-yard line
·       Top game was against Appalachian Sate, when he averaged 45.5 yards on six punts
·       Season long of 58 yards vs. East Carolina and South Alabama
·       With starting kicker Noel Ruiz unavailable against South Alabama, he handled punting, placekicking and kickoffs.
·       Averaged and netted 44.2 yards on four punts with two punts inside the 20-yard line, including a season-long 58-yard kick that was downed at the three-yard line
·       Perfect on five placements, nailing four extra points and a 23-yard field goal, that gave GSU a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter
 
2019 – Georgia State
·       Redshirted
 
High School
·       Helped West Florence High School to an 11-2 record and the third round of the state playoffs
·       Chosen for the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl All-Star game
·       Two-time All-Pee Dee selection by the Florence Morning News
·       Palmetto Champions Specialist of the Year
·       Made 64-of-65 extra point kicks and 6-of-8 field-goal attempts with long of 42 yards
·       Recorded 72 touchbacks on kickoffs and averaged 40 yards per punt with a long of 50
·       Scored 170 points in his career, including 82 as a senior
·       Also lettered two years in soccer