Jacori Hayes Commits to Wake Forest

4/10/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

April 10, 2013

By Steven Wright, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMSoccer)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest head men's soccer coach Jay Vidovich has announced the signing of U.S. U-18 Men's National Team member Jacori Hayes, who will be joining the Demon Deacons in the fall.

Along with being a member of the National Team, Hayes is a captain of the Baltimore Bays Chelsea U-18 Academy team. Hailing from Bowie, Md., Hayes is currently a senior at DeMatha Catholic High School.

"Being able to add Jacori to the program right now is just a tremendous boost to the program and to what we can do. He is a Wake Forest player through-and-through," said Vidovich. "He may be a little small, but he makes up for it with his pace and competitiveness. He's a two-way player, and when I talk about his competitiveness, I mean he has a little bit of bite to him. He can play off the pass or the dribble. He fills a lot of our needs with what we are trying to do, so we are excited he can join us."

Hayes has been named a high school All-American during his prep career, and he also earned First Team All-WCAC and Second Team All-Met from the Washington Post in 2011.

"Anytime you compete at a higher level, it's a chance to grow. The thing about Jacori is he's been invited to the national camps and keeps going back to them. There is a level of consistency in his performance, but I think his future is brighter than where he is currently," added Vidovich.

Hayes is familiar with several players on the Wake Forest roster already, as his time with the Bays was spent with current Deacs Michael Gamble, Ricky Greensfelder and Andrew Harris.

In addition to his accolades on the field, Hayes has also been a model student. He is a member of National Honor Society and has been named to the Principal's List (3.8 GPA or above) every quarter.

"While he is going to have to adapt to college soccer with the physicality and tight schedule, I expect him to compete immediately in terms of minutes on the field."

Hayes makes the ninth newcomer to Wake Forest for the 2013 fall season. Three players - Tane Gent, Hayden Partain and Shane Powell - all joined during the Spring semester, while Ian Harkes, Hunter Bandy, Rafael Fagundo, William Robinson and Grant Bishop are all slated to step on campus in the fall.

"I think it's a very strong class. There are a lot of guys who I think can grow with the program, and I think it's coming at the perfect time because there is some competition for them in terms of spots and there is great leadership in place that will help them grow their games," said Vidovich.