In a story which is somehow both surprising and expected at the same time, Tim Fitzgerald at GoPowercat.com (confirmed by Matt Hall of K-State’s Rivals site kstateonline.com) reports that Tom Hayes, the defensive coordinator for the Wildcats, is retiring after a 40-year career in coaching.
Hayes has often been maligned, especially here. It would be disingenuous to pretend we don’t think this move is ultimately for the best for K-State football. However, a look at the actual achievements of the K-State defense over the last six years under his leadership is probably instructive. K-State’s defense actually got better when he took over in 2012, and three times in his six seasons the Wildcats were either first or second in the Big 12 in scoring defense.