Hayden Hurst

BIOGRAPHY

Hayden Randle Hurst was born on August 24th, 1993, in Jacksonville, Florida. He plays tight end in the National Football League.

In his early years, Hurst attended Bolles High School where he played football and baseball for the Bulldogs athletic teams. Hurst was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round of the 2012 MLB Draft and signed with the Pirates turning down a baseball scholarship from Florida State. Hurst played two seasons in the Pirates organization before walking onto South Carolina's football team.

After he finished high school, Hurst committed to the University of South Carolina where as a freshman in 2015, he played in all 12 games, making one start, catching eight passes for 106 yards. He played at tight end and on special teams early in the season but moved to wide receiver after the UCF game. Hurst caught his first pass, a nine-yard reception, at LSU and hauled in a career-long 47-yard reception at Texas A&M. He made his first career start and responded with a pair of catches for 12 yards against Florida, had two catches versus The Citadel and he was named to the 2015-16 First-Year SEC Honor Roll. As a sophomore in 2016, Hurst was named one of four permanent team captains and set Carolina's single-season record for catches by a tight end with 48. He was the first Carolina tight end to catch 30 passes since Wesley Saunders in 2009, and he also broke Danny Smith's school record for receiving yards by a tight end with 616. He ranked among the nation's top dozen tight ends in both receptions and yards receiving and had at least five receptions in five games and at least 80 receiving yards in four contests. He also served as the Gamecocks' punt returner against Georgia, becoming the biggest punt returner in Division I football in recent memory. As a junior in 2017, Hurst was one of the nation's top tight ends and was named first-team All-SEC by both the Associated Press and by the league's 14 coaches. He was a semifinalist for both the Mackey Award, which recognizes the nation's best tight end and the Burlsworth Trophy, which recognizes the nation's top walk-on. He was also named 2017 preseason first-team All-SEC by the league's coaches and Athlon, was a second-team selection by the media and was named a midseason first-team All-SEC pick by The Athletic. Hurst was the team's second-leading receiver with 44 catches for 559 yards and ranked seventh nationally among tight ends in receiving yards and tied for 10th in receptions. He also rushed nine times for 30 yards and had two receiving touchdowns and one rushing TD.

After he graduated from college, Hurst entered the 2018 NFL Draft where he was selected in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens and on June 19th, 2018, Hurst signed a four-year contract. He recorded his first career touchdown reception, a 26-yard pass from fellow rookie Lamar Jackson, on October 28, 2018, in the fourth quarter of a 36–21 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He finished his rookie season playing in 12 games, receiving 13 passes for 163 yards and 1 touchdown.

Hurst signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on March 18, 2022 and joined the Carolina Panthers in 2023.