BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference on Thursday announced Casey Hayward as Vanderbilt’s 2026 SEC Legend honoree, presented by T-Mobile. Each member of the conference has a representative that will be honored at events surrounding the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta in December.
Hayward was one of Vanderbilt’s most productive defensive backs from 2008 to 2011, serving as a team captain his senior season while being named a 2011 second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. A two-time All-SEC pick by both the coaches and the Associated Press, he intercepted 15 passes to tie the Commodores’ career record and shared the school mark with 34 passes broken up. He picked off six passes in 2010 and seven as a senior, one shy of the single-season record, and posted 17 pass breakups in each of his last two seasons.
After playing in the 2012 Senior Bowl, he was selected by Green Bay in the second round of the NFL Draft, 62nd overall. Hayward then played 11 professional seasons from 2012 to 2022 with the Packers, Chargers, Raiders and Falcons. He earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2017 and second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl recognition in 2016.
The 2026 Football Legends class includes 16 former stars who excelled on the gridiron and helped write the rich history of the sport at their respective institutions. The class will be honored at the 2026 SEC Football “Weekend of Champions” Dec. 4-5 in Atlanta highlighted by the annual SEC Legends Celebration presented by T-Mobile on Friday, Dec. 4 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The group will also be recognized prior to the SEC Football Championship Game, which will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 5.