The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE man," he wrote. "I want to thank my dad and all of my amazing coaches and teammates that have helped me develop my game and motivate me. I also would like to give all glory to God. I would like to thank all the schools that had in- terest in me and have given me an opportunity to play at their school. "With all that said and no fur- ther delay, I am happy to say that I will be taking my talents to the Big House by committing to The Uni- versity of Michigan. Go Blue!" That attitude will win over a lot of fans, but so will the way the 6-2, 195-pounder plays. "Hawkins could be the deep threat that Michigan needs at the receiver position," The Wolverine re- cruiting editor Tim Sullivan said. "While he's not a true blazer, he is plenty fast to be an impact player, and his technical ability in route- running allows him to get deep without needing to be the fastest man on the field. "He is a smooth, natural catcher of the football and doesn't fight it like some young receivers tend to do. He uses his big hands to pluck the ball out of the air and is excel- lent at firing them late, making life difficult on defensive backs trying to break up passes. "Hawkins also has ability after the catch with the ball in his hands. He is a slippery runner in traffic, but focuses on turning up field to gain ground." Michigan is getting a play-making athlete and a potential ringleader for a talented area of the country. Michigan now has landed Hawkins and his teammate, defensive end Ron Johnson, and more talent from their neck of the woods could be on the way. In fact, the New Jersey pipeline played a role in Hawkins choosing the Maize and Blue. "[Redshirt freshman safety] Ja- brill Peppers told me a lot about Michigan and how he loves it so much, and how we've got to get this Jersey-to-Michigan pipeline going," Hawkins said. "That helped a lot. I'm going to work on getting Nas [Philadelphia tight end Naseir Upshur] up there and Ahmir [Mitchell, a New Jersey wideout]. Rashan Gary [five-star New Jersey defensive tackle], too." Given Hawkins' skillset — and Michigan's need for a player with his abilities — it's possible he gets on the field early in his Michigan career. While there will be upper- classmen at the position when he arrives in town, none have shown the ability yet to go deep in college, and that's something he'll have the opportunity to provide. Rivals.com Midwest regional analyst Josh Helmholdt noted how solid Hawkins is in all aspects. "Hawkins does everything well," Helmholdt said. "The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is an all-around wide receiver who can break press cover- age, gets on top of defensive backs in a hurry and catches everything thrown his way. The four-star has a basketball background, and that comes through in the way he is able