Dallan Hayden, son of former Tennessee football star, gets SEC offers as freshman

Evan Barnes
Memphis Commercial Appeal

MURFREESBORO — The offers came in hot for Christian Brothers freshman Dallan Hayden over the past month.

Mississippi State. Florida. Georgia. Texas A&M. Schools that would dazzle any 15-year-old who only completed one year of varsity football.

“Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M really amazed me,” Hayden said. “Those are really big-time programs in the SEC and that shows that they value you.”

Christian Brothers' Dallan Hayden, left, celebrates a defensive stop with teammate RJ Trim against Brentwood Academy during their TSSAA playoff game at CBU on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.

But with each offer that comes in, he remembers the advice his father, Aaron, and older brother Chase gave him: Don’t let them go to your head.

Aaron was a running back at Tennessee for four years before being drafted by the San Diego Chargers and playing parts of four seasons in the NFL. Chase finished his sophomore year at Arkansas where he was the team’s third-leading rusher.

So being the latest Hayden to catch the eye of colleges means a lot but it also has him aware of what he needs to next.

“Remain humble, remain hard-working and try to be the best individual I can be,” said Dallan.

Tennessee Vols were first offer

Prior to this year, Christian Brothers coach Thomas McDaniel had never started a freshman. That changed when Dallan arrived.

Memphis University School’s Maurice Hampton juggles the ball as Christian Brothers' Dallan Hayden defends at CBU on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018.

Dallan already entered school with an offer from Tennessee the summer before his first varsity game. Growing up a Vols fan, it was a special feeling in the Hayden household.

"Dallan was just super ecstatic," Aaron said. "It was a pretty cool moment and pretty much put them firmly in his mind being his first offer."

Aaron and his wife, a former Vols cheerleader, often took his sons to games where they got to know former coaches Philip Fulmer and Johnny Majors.

Dallan went to start 10 games at cornerback for Christian Brothers and held his own against players like MUS’ Maurice Hampton, who has signed with LSU and is the state's top 2019 prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

“He was too athletic and too physical not to put him on the field,” McDaniel said. “It’s yet to be determined what he turns into, but right now it looks like the ceiling is pretty high.”

McDaniel thinks his future could be at running back, but for now, he's using him in the secondary.

Dallan also plays basketball and runs track. At TSSAA Spring Fling this week, he placed seventh in the Division II-AA 400 meters.

What he learned from his family

In elementary school, Dallan had memories watching his brother blossom into a four-star recruit at St. George’s as well as standout basketball player.

Christian Brothers' Dallan Hayden is a standout freshman who's earned offers from Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M among others over the past month.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be just like Chase and he’s been a heck of an example my whole life,” Dallan said. “He guided me to where I’m supposed to be.”

He also watched as strangers came up to his father to shake his hand or ask for a picture. When he attended games at Neyland Stadium, he saw firsthand what a college atmosphere was like.

It laid the foundation to understand hard work comes before and after the praise. Once his brother found success, it just drove Dallan even more.

 “I think when you’re that second brother, he’s always had that inner fortitude to be competitive with Chase,” Aaron said. “He has next and I think he believes that, and he wants to take it even further. That’s just his mentality.”

It’s also why he loves the attention he’s gotten from colleges but knows it’s just one step of his journey. All of the offers are merely fuel for his drive to improve.

After all, he's got a family tradition to uphold.

“My dad played in the SEC. Chase is playing in the SEC so I want to follow in their footsteps,” he said.

More:TSSAA Spring Fling 2019: Top performers from day two

You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com