National Signing Day 2018: Top 10 diamonds in the rough
Few players are faster than Byrd, but Louisville commit Javian Hawkins might be one of them. Both Byrd and Hawkins competed at The Opening regionals in June 2017. The two were among the 33 players clocked at 4.5 seconds or faster in the 40-yard dash. Byrd clocked in at 4.46 – a tie for 12th. Hawkins posted a 4.36 – faster than all but two campers: four-star wide receiver Anthony Schwartz, who committed to Auburn out of Florida, and Kentucky all-purpose back Rondale Moore, a four-star Purdue commit.
Listed at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, Hawkins is small for a running back, but he’s an electric playmaker with the football in his hands. In 2017, he averaged an incredible 9.2 yards per carry as a senior and scored 20 touchdowns while rushing for 1,783 yards in 13 games. Hawkins is ranked No. 1381 overall and 25th among all-purpose backs in the 247Sports Composite. The Cocoa native comes in ranked No. 213 among all Florida high school prospects.
Hawkins committed to Louisville in August, though Boston College and UCF (and later Nebraska after Scott Frost switched jobs) were in the mix. And, though he didn’t sign with the Cardinals during the early signing period, he has reportedly shut down his recruiting and will make it official in February.
Louisville may be a bona fide Power Five program, but the Cardinals still recruit like a mid-major. Head coach Bobby Petrino focuses much of his attention on Florida and searches up and down the coast for versatile, athletic playmakers overlooked by in-state programs and SEC powerhouses. Hawkins could be the next under-the-radar playmaker to sign with the Cardinals out of the Sunshine State.