Jaxson Hayes’ father Jonathan played a total of 12 years in the NFL as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, so it probably wasn’t much of a surprise that Jaxson focused on football as a youngster, eventually becoming a college recruiting prospect at wide receiver. On an old Rivals.com football webpage, Hayes is listed as 6-foot-7, 189 pounds, drawing interest from pigskin powers Notre Dame and Ohio State.
However, after growing to 6-foot-11, Hayes’ high center of gravity made basketball more conducive to his frame. Following a season with the Texas Longhorns’ hoops program, the Cincinnati native was the No.