Nate Hayes Jr.’s summer has been so packed with activities; he really hasn’t taken what would be considered a vacation before entering his senior year at Effingham County High School.
The Rebels quarterback attended six football camps on five college campuses; as well as the Beta Club’s national convention in Louisville, Ky.; and the Congress for Future Medical Leaders in Lowell, Mass. -- not far from Boston, so Hayes stayed north to go to Harvard’s football camp as well.
Effingham County High School rising senior Nate Hayes Jr. attended the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, a national conference for high school students, in June in Lowell, Mass. (Photo by Mimi Hayes)
And because he wants to be a medical leader in the future (an orthopedic surgeon, specifically), Hayes is experiencing working at a hospital with a part-time job as a data clerk at Effingham Health System. The school football squad practices weekday mornings, and he works in the afternoons and all-day Fridays.
“Summer is just busy,” he said. “Of course, there’s always time to unwind and practice the piano, play the trumpet. I like to draw as well and write short stories.”
His parents, Mimi and Nate Hayes Sr., are used to their son’s myriad of interests.
“For the first three weeks of June, we were gone every day at some point, somewhere,” said Hayes Sr., who has worked at ECHS since 1992, the past eight years as assistant principal.
His wife, Mimi, works there, too, as the college and career counselor as well as the 10th grade academic counselor. So all three have a similar summer schedule, making the June calendar open for so much travel.
Hayes Jr. went to two camps at Georgia Tech in Atlanta; and one each at Kennesaw State, Berry College in Rome, Ga.; Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C.; and Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.
He’s only going to get busier when school starts. The senior class president is a member of eight clubs through the school, including National Honor Society (co-president), Beta Club (vice president) and other academic, leadership and community service-minded organizations.
Effingham County High School's Nate Hayes Jr., now a rising senior, placed third in the region at the Rotary Club speech contest in Brunswick. (Photo by Mimi Hayes)
After taking five advanced placement classes as a junior, Hayes has AP calculus, AP chemistry, AP literature and AP macroeconomics on his fall seven-course load, in addition to band (he’s in the wind ensemble), weightlifting and an elective to be determined.
At the top of his class with a 4.0 grade-point average, Hayes plays varsity football, basketball and baseball.
“Just an outstanding kid -- what high school football is all about,” head football coach John Ford said. “In an age of specializing, of specificity, he does a lot of things and a lot of things well. That’s the way it should be.”
Hayes Sr., who played cornerback at Georgia Southern in 1982-84 when the football program was reborn under the legendary Erk Russell, coached his son in the yard as well as on his youth teams from age 7 and into middle school.
“He was coaching every single team I was a part of, and I’m grateful for it,” said Hayes Jr., 17.
His father said Nate Jr. is a hard worker who doesn’t accept defeat.
“He wants to get it right,” said Hayes Sr., noting his son’s improved arm strength, accuracy and speed on display at a recent 7-on-7 team competition at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. “Whatever he does, he’s going to give it his all. If it’s not his all, he’s going to go beyond his all. He wants perfection, so he works very hard at whatever he does.”
Hayes Jr. does so many things, including usher at his church on Sundays, because he is a young man of great faith. He said he is blessed by God to be gifted “with so many talents, so many traits and skills,” and Hayes is showing his gratitude.
“The way to give it back to him is to do as much as I can with these blessings he’s given me. I can’t afford to let them go to waste,” Hayes said. “When you have something greater than yourself that you’re doing it for, you just enjoy it more, in my opinion.”
Hayes was a backup quarterback and wide receiver as a sophomore, when he had a shorter, slighter build than his current 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Ford was the new coach in 2021, and programs were getting closer to normal after limitations during the first COVID-19 season a year earlier.
Ford saw promise in the underclassman.
“You could see a skill set and a maturity and a wisdom beyond his years,” Ford said.
Effingham Co High School. vs. South Effingham High School
Nate Hayes Jr. scoring against the Mustangs (Mimi Hayes social media)
Hayes started as a junior on a senior-dominant offensive unit and recalled that he had to learn to take command of the huddle and run the offense. After an 0-2 start, the Rebels reeled off seven straight victories, creating momentum for support in the school hallways and in the community.
“That’s something great about not just high school football but football as a whole,” Hayes said. “When you can get your school, your community behind you, that gives you that extra motivation to play. That’s something I really love about this sport. Having your community behind you, knowing you’re playing for that Effingham, that ‘E’ on your chest. That really gets you going about Friday nights. That’s something great about Friday night lights.”
ECHS finished 7-4 overall including a first-round playoff loss, and 5-1 in Region 2-6A. Hayes was selected all-region first team after passing for 1,658 yards, 14 touchdowns and a mere two interceptions, as well as rushing for 308 yards and four TDs.
“He’s a total package at quarterback,” Ford said. “He’s a great thrower of the ball. He’s athletic enough to make things happen if the pocket breaks down.
“He’s strong, compact, just has a whip for an arm,” he added.
College recruiters may prefer taller, bigger quarterbacks, but they would be missing out on Hayes, who can make all the throws, Ford said.
“I think his combination of (game) film and (academic) transcript and everything else is going to open plenty of doors for him before it’s all said and done.” Ford said. “I think the more eyes that see him and the more people that meet him, the more offers he’s going to get.”
Hayes said as of July 19 that he has two offers, from Wayne State in Detroit, and the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.
He also has gotten “plenty” of schools showing interest and stays in contact with college coaches, some of whom wanted to see him play in person and invited him to those summer camps. His plan is to try to keep improving and have an even better final season for the team, and also enjoy being a senior and “soak up every single moment I can this year.”
Along with round-the-clock love, support and free advice from his parents – his father/former coach and mother/career guidance counselor – Hayes has faith that a higher power will lead him.
“They always told me, ‘Nathan, with the Lord on your side, and with your mind set in the right place, you can do whatever you want to in this world, you can always be successful.’ That was one thing that stuck with me,” said Hayes Jr., adding that his parents gave more advice about facing challenges. “That’s not just true for me; that’s true for anyone.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Curtis Reese/Effingham County High School & Mimi Hayes
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