CFB notebook: Notre Dame grad transfer Hayes headed for Georgia

Notre Dame graduate transfer Jay Hayes announced in a Twitter post on Wednesday that will play next season for Georgia, not two weeks after committing to Oklahoma. The defensive end, who will be eligible immediately because he is a grad transfer, started all 13 games for the Irish last year, and finished with 27 tackles, three tackles for losses, one sack and one fumble recovery. Hayes made seven tackles in a 20-19 loss to Georgia last season. "This is it! In a month I'll be heading down to Athens to play for the Georgia Bulldogs. Go DAWGS!" Hayes wrote on Twitter. It's not certain how Hayes will fit in with the Bulldogs, who have starting defensive ends Tyler Clark and Jonathan Ledbetter returning. --Montana quarterback Gresch Jensen, who started for much of last season, will transfer, head coach Bobby Hauck announced. Jensen, who stepped in last season as a redshirt freshman after starter Reese Phillips was injured, decided to leave following a quarterback competition with UNLV transfer Dalton Sneed during spring practice. "We think Gresch is a great guy, and hope good things happen for him," Hauck said in a statement. "We appreciate his efforts at Montana, and we will help him any way we can in the future." In a post on social media, Jensen wrote: "After careful consideration and meeting with the staff, I have decided to pursue other opportunities. I would like to thank the University of Montana, my teammates, fans, staff, and equipment/media personnel for an incredible two years. I look forward to the next chapter." Jensen passed for 2,531 yards and 20 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in 2017, in addition to rushing for six touchdowns in 10 games. He finished third in voting for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, given to the national freshman of the year. Sneed spent three semesters at UNLV before playing the 2017 season at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. --Former Notre Dame defensive lineman Kona Schwenke died at the age of 25 in his sleep at home in Laie, Oahu, Hawaii, the university announced. The cause of his death was not announced and it came less than a week after he had a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons. An autopsy was pending. Schwenke was a member of the 2012 Notre Dame team that lost to Alabama in the BCS national championship game. As a senior in 2013, Schwenke recorded 23 total tackles and received the Irish's Next Man In Award. Schwenke went undrafted but spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He never appeared in an NFL game. His career ended in 2016 when he was waived by the Seahawks after sustaining a right knee injury. --Quarterback Blake Barnett of Arizona State will transfer, according to multiple media reports, and Fox Sports claimed he will visit South Florida this weekend. Barnett will be a graduate transfer with two seasons of eligibility remaining. A five-star prospect out of Santiago High School in Corona, Calif., who was ranked No. 14 in the Class of 2015, Barnett committed to Notre Dame, then de-committed and signed with Alabama. Barnett transferred from Alabama to Arizona State in 2016 after quarterback Jalen Hurts took over as the starter for the Crimson Tide. Last season at Arizona State, Barnett played behind starting quarterback Manny Wilkins.