The Wolverine

March 2017 Recruiting Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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50 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY JOHN BORTON All who pull on the winged helmet for the first time in the 2017 season will be fulfilling a moment of great anticipa- tion. None more so than Brad Hawkins, who waited an extra year to do it. Hawkins, the 6-2, 205-pound wideout from Camden, N.J., figured to be on hand for the 2016 campaign, but it didn't work out that way. Academic records from a switch in high schools weren't transferred in a timely fashion, and although he ultimately qualified in 2016, plans had already been established for him to attend Suffield (Conn.) Academy for a prep year. Those nine months did Hawkins a lot of good, accord- ing to Suffield coach Drew Ga- mere. "All parties involved would say the year has been great for him," Gamere said. "Even he would say it. It's not easy, when you're ready to be up at Michigan and then you're at a prep school for a year, but he's been fantastic. "He played against some really good players and did some outstand- ing things. He'd be the first to tell you, his growth as a young man was huge. Being in a challenging academic environment and around some dynamic people, he soaked it up. We're proud of him." Hawkins confirmed talk of his growth, proudly discussing his the- ater debut, among other activities. On the field, he acted ready for the next step. "The weight room here is amaz- ing," Hawkins said. "It got me stron- ger, faster, I'm more physical. I grew as a player." Hawkins put up some impressive numbers in his one season at Suffield, snagging 51 catches for 868 yards and 11 touchdowns, after a senior season at Camden High in which he caught 41 passes for 544 yards and seven scores. "We knew he was good, obvi- ously," Gamere said. "He's really ex- plosive. He catches the ball great, but he's explosive after the catch. He can catch in traffic and then go get some extra yards. "He's a tough kid. He's really ath- letic. There were a couple of plays this year where he did things that were just super athletic." Hawkins' highlight film demon- strates his considerable leaping abil- ity and prowess for pulling down one-handed catches. But there's far more to him than executing spectacu- lar grabs, according to the Suffield coach. "We could use in him multiple ways," Gamere offered. "We could get him the ball quick. He's really good at making somebody miss, or running through somebody and get- ting extra yards. We set him loose a few times. "He's dynamic, but he's a tough kid. I think you'll love that about him. We played against [fellow U-M signee] Tarik Black, who is phenom- enal in terms of physicality. Brad makes tough catches inside, over the middle, and it doesn't bother him at all, and he's really explosive after the catch. "It's surprising to some of the teams he'll play. Once he catches the ball, that first step out of there is really explosive, and that gets him extra yards right away, even against good players." Gamere noted Hawkins must take the expected steps to explode at the next level, learning that the burst he shows at times must be deliv- ered constantly. The coach described him as "not a burner," but added: "He's faster than a lot of peo- ple give him credit for. He had a couple of kickoff returns for us where he got loose and wasn't getting caught." Hawkins also demonstrated an aptitude for the other side of the ball, delivering 139 ca- reer tackles, 20 of them for loss, with three forced fum- bles, five fumble recoveries and six interceptions, half of those returned for touch- downs. He's targeted as a wide receiver for Michigan, but wouldn't be out of place in the middle of the defensive backfield, Ga- mere explained. "We played him some at safety," he said. "We wanted him to be as pro- ductive as possible offensively, but he has the flexibility to play defense. I think Michigan wants to get a really good look at what he does on offense. "We know they have a really good class coming in, but they view him as a wide receiver. But there's no question he has the toughness and the makeup to be a defensive player, too." Whatever lies ahead, Hawkins sounds more than ready to move forward, after seeing his Michigan dreams delayed. "It was hard, but I also had a posi- tive mindset with it, about me just bettering myself as a person, matur- ing," he said. "God has a plan for me." "You've got a special young man," Gamere assured. "He's going to be successful. We're excited that he had the year here, but he's going to do great things at Michigan — I have no doubt about that." ❏ Brad Hawkins Is More Than Ready To Be A Wolverine Coming out of Camden (N.J.) High in 2016, Hawkins was a four- star recruit ranked as the nation's No. 235 overall prospect. PHOTO BY BRANDON BROWN

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