Clemson has its centerpiece — and first piece — for the next recruiting class.
Calhoun (Ga.) quarterback Trace Hawkins announced his commitment Thursday evening.
Tigerillustrated.com issued its projection for Hawkins to Clemson early Monday afternoon, the first industry indication that the needle was quickly moving in the Tigers’ direction.
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Hawkins (6-0, 190), ranked No. 255 nationally by Rivals, had LSU, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Duke and Vanderbilt as his other finalists.
He also landed early offers from Indiana, SMU, Georgia Tech as well as the previous staffs at Florida and Auburn.
In 12 games as a sophomore, he threw for 2,442 yards and 24 touchdowns to just three interceptions, completing 67.4 percent of his passes.
As a freshman, he earned title game MVP honors in helping lead Calhoun to a 3A state championship.
Clemson has signed three players from Calhoun during the Dabo Swinney era and began engagement with Hawkins last fall, bringing him in to watch the team’s game against Duke in October.
Quarterbacks coach Tajh Boyd took the lead in his recruitment, and Hawkins traveled back for Clemson’s spring game.
He then returned two weeks later as a targeted guest for the program’s Spring Elite Day.
More than a dozen quarterbacks with power conference offers ventured in to the Swinney Camp early last month to compete for one of Clemson’s select few opening offers.
Hawkins and Frisco (Texas) Lone Star’s Trey Wright would get the call a couple of weeks later, and the race was on to secure Clemson’s spot.
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“I can definitely see myself fitting in to their offense with how much they put on their quarterbacks,” Hawkins told Tigerillustrated.com this spring. “All their young quarterbacks are competing right now, and that tells you that when you come in as a freshman, you have a chance to play.”
LSU held a prominent place in Hawkins’ thinking.
But Hawkins ultimately responded to Clemson’s push to secure its guy early before many more quarterback dominoes fell.
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He is the program’s first commitment for the 2028 class, marking the fourth cycle in a row the Tigers have scored their quarterback commitment before the end of July.
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