Justice Hayes, a 5'11 190 pound running back from Grand Blanc, Michigan, announced Friday that he will attend Notre Dame not just for football but for a chance to better himself academically.

Hayes narrowed his list of schools to Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan State, Tennessee and Stanford before choosing the Irish.

"Fortunately you can only choose one school, I think I'm ready to announce and let everyone know where I'm going. The college that I will be attending in the summer of 2011 will be the University of Notre Dame," Hayes said.

"At one point I was like, man should I go to a party school and have a good time? But I came back to earth a little bit and said this is ultimately the best situation for me, that's why I chose Notre Dame," Hayes explained.

Hayes has rushed for over 2,400 yards in his last 20 games at Grand Blanc. Not blessed with blazing speed, Hayes has more for made up for that with excellent hands, tremendous balance and a willingness to compete.

"Brian Kelly is a winner, he's won on every level, and that's another reason I decided to choose Notre Dame. Because even though people say he might not do well, you can't say that because he's won on every level. He has a great resume and that's why I chose the school I chose," Hayes said.

There will be more Notre Dame recruiting news this coming weekend; so make sure you stay connected with NewsCenter 16 both on air and online for the latest recruiting news.