Staring up at 6-foot 8-inch, 280-pound defensive end Calais Campbell would be frightening for almost any college football player.

For sophomore film student Chris Hayes, it’s a potential nightmare that comes true almost everyday.

That’s because Hayes is a walk-on for the Miami Hurricane football team. At 5-9, 160 pounds, he’s one of the littlest guys on the team.

“I had always talked about trying out, and when I got the opportunity, I figured the worse they could tell me was ‘no’,” says Hayes, who never played football in high school.

During the season, practice for Hayes consists of meetings followed by playing on the scout team so the starters get a feel for the upcoming opponent’s playbook.

Coach Andreu Swasey, one of Hayes’ biggest influences, says that the role of the walk-on is crucial to the team’s success.

“The walk-ons help us win,” Swasey said.

Hayes tried out in 2006, his freshman year, as a wide receiver. He was one of four players who made the team out of about 30 hopefuls.

“I had the butterflies,” he said. “I never thought I would make it. I just wanted to get it over with.”

Nearly a foot shorter than Campbell, Hayes looks more like a typical college student than a member of a division one college football team.

“Chris had heart, discipline, passion, and showed a lot of effort,” said Swasey, the head coach for strength and conditioning.

Hayes said that after he learned he made the team, the shock didn’t hit him until he first set foot in the team locker room.

“I always dreamed of playing for the Hurricanes,” he said. “Seeing the guys who I had watched on TV, and the giant ‘U’ on the floor, it was unreal.”

The stupor quickly wore off when Hayes began to wake up at 5 a.m. for mandatory workouts

“Every morning when I wake up I’m like ‘Oh man,’” said Hayes, who is yet to play in a real game.

Hayes learned that being a walk-on was slightly less glamorous than he had imagined. For example, walk-ons don’t get to stretch with the starters and have difficulty getting equipment, he said.

But Hayes insists that the benefits of just being on the team outweigh the drawbacks.

“At practice they treat the walk-ons differently. I know the other guys are the ones who bring in all the money, but sometimes it seems insensitive. But that’s how life goes. You just gotta move on.”

When Hayes finishes his morning workout, he heads to classes. He is like every other student, except with less time.

“I try to do a lot of my work on Monday afternoon, because we don’t have practice then,” he said. “I’ve been playing sports all my life, so I’ve gotten pretty good at managing sports and academics.”

Hayes’ passions have always been sports and movies. He said he knew by eighth grade that he wanted to attend the University of Miami Film Program.

“I like the School of Communication a lot,” he said. “Dean Grogg has done a great job making it a better school. The technology here is great.”

Hayes, who realizes that making the NFL is a long shot, hopes that someday he can channel his passion for movies into either directing or screenwriting.

“Writing scripts is a lot of fun. It’s a nice change from the typical essay format that you’re used to writing in,” he said.

Hayes said he has no plans to write an epic on college football walk-ons. The real experience has been satisfying enough.