[2] A three-star prospect, he committed to play college football for the Duke Blue Devils and one of the top-60 ranked outside linebackers nationally.
[2] The following year, he appeared in all 12 games, six as a starter, totaling 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs); he was third for Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) freshmen in the former while he placed sixth in the latter category.
"[2] In 2021, Heyward was named third-team All-ACC after having started all 12 games and recording a team-leading 98 tackles and 11.5 TFLs.
[4] As a senior in 2022, he served as team captain and started all 12 games, recording 93 tackles, six pass breakups and 6.0 TFLs, being named honorable mention All-ACC and the Duke defensive MVP.
[2] After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Heyward signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent.