Disclaimer: As the 2020 football season still is “technically” scheduled to proceed as planned in Manhattan, with the recent delay of our season opener until Sept. 12 against Arkansas State, we will reset and continue this Countdown for just a little bit longer...

Goal No. 9: ELIMINATE MISTAKES. Don’t beat yourself.

#9 Demarrquese Hayes

True Freshman | 6-0 | 193 lbs. | Waco, Texas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Linebacker
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Redshirt
• Status: On Scholarship

Demarrquese Hayes (b. Nov. 16, 2001) is an athletic linebacker from La Vega High School in Waco, Texas, who enrolled early for spring practices, but probably still will redshirt in 2020.

Hayes played under head coach Don Hyde at La Vega, where he was rated the 92nd-best outside linebacker in the Class of 2020 by 247Sports and earned 2018 first-team All-State honors from the Texas Sports Writers Association.

He helped the Pirates to earn a 14-2 record and a trip to the Class 4A Division I State Championship as a senior. La Vega finished 14-2 and won a state title during his junior year.

Hayes also competed in track, in which he was the leadoff man on the Pirates’ 4x100-meter relay team that won the state gold medal in 2019.

He selected K-State over offers from Houston, New Mexico, Texas State, Tulsa and UTEP — as well as interest from Arkansas, Baylor, Boise State, Oklahoma State, SMU and TCU — with the ultimate goal of leaving with a championship ring.

“That’s the plan,” Hayes added. “We want to win a Big 12 Championship, want to make history here as well. We want to make a lot of things happen.”

Hayes’ lead recruiters were current defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman and former defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton.