“I’ve got a big role,” Hayes said. “It’s pretty important, but I’m not at all overwhelmed by the responsibility because of the rest of the leadership that I have on defense…. So as captain I’ve got to be looking out for the whole team, but being a leader of the defense is not as intimidating of a role.”

Though Harvard may have graduated nearly the entire secondary, there may be a silver lining in an almost-clean slate. While the Crimson was third in the league last year in points allowed against Ivy opponents, Harvard came in sixth in pass yardage allowed. The turnover in the secondary may bring with it an improved pass defense, which gave up over 270 yards per game in 2013.

The secondary will get its first real test in the Friday night home opener against Holy Cross, when it faces quarterback Peter Pujals. Pujals tore up the Crimson’s defense last year, throwing for four scores and 345 yards. If Hayes and company are able to limit Pujals in the second go-around, it should bode well for the team, which will need to defend dangerous Ancient Eight quarterbacks in Princeton’s Quinn Epperly and Dartmouth’s Dalyn Williams.

But if there’s any team in the Ivy League that’s able to withstand an entire overhaul of the secondary, it is Harvard, which features an offense that should be able to keep the defense off the field and an experienced defensive front to take the pressure off of the backfield.

Led by Hayes, whom Murphy characterizes as exhibiting “unique football charisma,” it’s not hard to imagine the young squad stepping into the championship-winning shoes left by the defense of last year.

“It’s a high intensity, very physical style of play on defense, and we all love the game, and we love the way we play the game, so it hasn’t been too rough of a ride too far,” Hayes said. 

—Staff writer Samantha Lin can be reached at samantha.lin@thecrimson.com.