Recruiting Report: Brennan Hawkins (2017)

Southwest senior quarterback Brennan Hawkins is taking a risk but is going after what he wants – not just what looks like a sure thing. Hawkins has had interest to play football from many of the Minnesota Division III programs as well as some preferred walk-on options in the Midwest, but he has always wanted to go to college outside of the Midwest and see if he has what it takes to earn a spot on a Division I roster. Minneapolis Southwest had a tough football season, but Hawkins is encouraged by the program's improvement during his three years on varsity. "It was a rough season, but it was better than last year," Hawkins said. "We got a win, and we were in a lot of games. We had more experienced players than last year, and they are going to have even more returning players next year. They have been working hard, and I think they are turning things around. I am feeling good about the program." On the personal side Hawkins feels he could have done more, but overall is happy with his season. "We didn't win enough games, but I had some good games," Hawkins said. "I was running less this year. I did a better job staying in the pocket. I was able to move around in the pocket to make throws. I thought I threw the ball well. When I needed to run I was able to pick up some big first downs and a couple of touchdowns." A captain for the second year, Hawkins felt he did a good job leading the younger players. "I have been able to keep people – especially when things aren't going our way – keeping people motivated and making them believe." As college approaches, he expects to have to make a position change, but it is not a position he is unfamiliar playing. Most of the schools the senior has looked at see him as a tight end. "I played quarterback until sophomore year," Hawkins said. "We had a senior quarterback that year, and I wanted to be on the field, so I moved to tight end. It went pretty well. We don't have a lot of numbers, so I switched back to quarterback for my junior and senior seasons." As a quarterback, Hawkins feels he knows how to read defenses well, is strong in the pocket and can make tough throws when under pressure. Hawkins has always felt tight end was his future. "I have more of a tight end body. I have good hands, run good routes and have good jumping ability – especially on smaller corners. I can use my body well for positioning and making tough catches." This winter Hawkins captained the basketball team and either played the three or the four. "I started a little slow, but the last half of the year I was averaging over twenty points a game," northstarfootballnews.com's 56th ranked player in the Class of 2017 said. "I was getting rebounds and assists. It was coming naturally to me at the end of the season." This spring, his focus has switched to football, the weight room, and finding a college – something that has hit more than one snag. "Sophomore year when I was playing tight end I got some looks from some pretty big schools, then junior year I switched to quarterback. I still had some looks, but switching positions made recruiting hard. I didn't have much game tape at tight end." Playing quarterback should help Hawkins get back up to speed quickly as a tight end. "I know how routes are supposed to be run and I know what it looks like from the quarterback's point of view," the senior said. "I know as a quarterback what I would want a route to look like, how I would throw the ball and how it should look from both points of view." An injury further complicated his recruiting. "Towards the end of my junior season, I broke my leg. All in all," Hawkins continued, "I got stuff from a lot of DIII schools, some DIIs and a couple of DIs, but those fell off pretty quickly." He had interest from Gustavus, St. Olaf, St. Thomas, Augustana, Harvard, North Dakota State, went to Junior Day at Minnesota and had a preferred walk-on offer from South Dakota State. Hawkins decided to go an unconventional route. "It is not 100 percent, but right now I am planning on walking on at a smaller DI school. I‘ve always wanted to get out of state for college. I believe I can walk on a team and be a player. I believe in myself." He applied at colleges he was interested in as a student, and as he has been accepted as a student, he has started to look into the football aspect of college. At those schools, if he gets his chance, it will be at tight end. "My top school right now is San Diego State," the Southwest Lakers' athlete said. "That is where it looks like I am going to go. A couple of my football coaches who played for the Gophers know one of the coaches at San Diego State. He is going to talk to them and give them my film." Hawkins expects to finalize his decision in the next few weeks and will soon find out if the risk he is taking will pay off.