The third-year program was the brainchild of former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins, and was taken over last year by quarterback Donovan McNabb.
"It feels good," said Hayes, who was too young to remember anything about his only two previous NFL games inside old Veterans Stadium. "Now that I actually know more about the game, I'm going to be able to look at my position and see what I can do."
Hayes' high school coach, Anthony Pastore, nominated a handful of players, but was rooting for Hayes to be one of Weaver's picks.
"I've been coaching football for 29 years, and Kevin is everything you want in a player, a kid, even a son, to me," Pastore said. "He is a complete and utter gentleman. He's quiet. He's professional. He's polite. He's very smart. He's very flexible. Last year, he played three or four different positions for us. Never once did he say, 'I don't wanna play there'; always, 'Yes, coach.' "
Versatility in football and other sports is what made Hayes stand out to Weaver. Hayes also excels at volleyball and basketball, has run track, and is relegated to recreational baseball and tennis, only because those sports conflict with volleyball. He's also in the Furness record books for kicking the first extra point in the 4-year varsity program's history, Pastore said.
He carries a 3.85 grade-point average at the Academy at Palumbo. He has been to Princeton and Columbia on college visits, and Army is keeping tabs on him this fall for a potential offer to play football at West Point.
"For me, it's all about inspiring young men to aspire to be like us, to show these young men that it takes more than just getting on the field and performing," said Weaver, who said he idolized Jerry Rice growing up. "You have to have some knowledge of something. That's the most important thing."
