North Dakota State quarterback Nathan Hayes carries an extra weight on his shoulders going into his senior season as the prorgam is set for an inaugural FBS season.
That said, Hayes couldn’t be more prepared as he has been learning from two quarterbacks who have reached the NFL or the pre-draft process thus far. Hayes played behind Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Cam Miller and NFL draft prospect Cole Payton for three years before taking the reins with the former FCS powerhouse. Miller and Payton are two of six former Bison quarterbacks since 2013 who have been in the NFL or part of the pre-draft process.
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“That’s a big part of it, just the legacy, all the quarterbacks that came before me. Obviously, you know it’s a quarterback factory,” Hayes said on Bison 1660 AM. “I learned so much … from Cam and Cole being here.”
“My legacy here my senior year is just going to be keeping that same thing going,” he added, “try to coach the young guys up as much as possible so that next year, in the years to come, just keep passing that knowledge down so that we can keep improving, keep winning games.”
Miller led the Bison to a pair of the program’s 10 FCS national championships, and Payton regularly played in run packages before his lone year as a starter in 2025. Hayes a little playing time those years, mainly during blowout wins, which will be less commonplace in the FBS for the Bison.
“Just poise and leadership. There was never a situation that was too big for those guys,” Hayes said. “So obviously everybody in our program can play, can make plays.”
“That’s what has to be the difference for me, just being able to lead the guys,” he added.
Hayes also changed his jersey number from No. 12 to No. 2 this year to establish his own part of the Bison quarterback legacy, especially because former Bison star Easton Stick wore No. 12. Stick led the Bison to three national championships between 2015 and 2018 before his NFL career.
“He set his legacy with twelve, so no one’s really been two yet. I kind of want to create my own name, my own legacy here,” Hayes said.
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