SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Daelin Hayes raced around from the left side and nearly got to quarterback Brandon Wimbush on the first play of Sunday's scrimmage.

The sophomore defensive end made a habit of getting into the backfield during Notre Dame's spring camp.He's hoping to carry it over to this fall."You try to move on and get better each and every day," Hayes said. "It was a great spring as far as developing, it was a great summer and growing into a great camp right now. It's growing each and every day with the mindset to get better than you were yesterday. That's been huge for me."The 6-foot-4, 258-pound Hayes was one of Notre Dame's spring standouts. To cap it, he was credited with seven tackles and three sacks in the Blue-Gold game.Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said he believes Hayes has the drive to continue that growth."He's very intentional in what he does," Kelly said. "When he walks into our building, he counts the footsteps to the training room. He's that intentional in terms of everything that he does, to his workouts, to what he eats, to his film sessions. That's going to pay off."He never comes to anything football-related unprepared. You'll never find him not sitting in the front row, asking questions, staying late, wanting to be the best. The great players that I've always been around possess that trait, and he's got that trait."Hayes, from Bellville, Mich., had 11 tackles and forced one fumble as a reserve last year. The coaching staff is eager to see how he performs in an expanded role."Daelin hasn't played a lot of football, so each time he goes out there and practices he gets more and more confident with himself and what we're asking him to do," defensive coordinator Mike Elko said. "He's challenged day in and day out by some pretty good offensive linemen, that allows him to improve every day."Hayes said the arrival of Elko, who was at Wake Forest last season, already has aided his development."I feel like I can play very fast and fluid in the scheme and it really compliments my abilities," Hayes said. "In that regard, Coach Elko has helped me a lot in playing with confidence and playing fast and understanding the defense."Hayes is excited for the opportunity to put it all together."It's putting it on the big scale," Hayes said. "Just being that dominant force throughout the entire season is a goal of mine."