We featured this prospect’s QB, Logan Landers, just over a week ago. We talked a little about Kel Hawkins then. Surely that was sufficient foreshadowing to clue you in we would circle back around to Hawkins for his own feature.
When your publication is devoted to the promotion of high-school football players around the commonwealth of Kentucky, there is always room at the table for any entity which would like to pitch in and help. We are gratified to see other online and in-print publications climbing on board.
One outfit doing a fine job is Tristate Football. They are @tsfootball on Twitter and they are a great follow.
We enjoyed an article by Greg Shoemaker about this particular prospect and it focused us on the prospect’s outstanding program at Dixie Heights. Mr. Shoemaker’s article is probably how the Landers’ feature gets written, as well as today’s.
It is like tossing a rock in a pound and counting the ripples which flow out from where the rock first impacted the surface. Tristate Football casually tossed a stone into the pond and we are among the ripples which floated out from the center.
Good work Tristate Football. Well done, Greg Shoemaker.
Hawkins is listed as a Safety/WR prospect. The 6-1, 190-pounder is undoubtedly a safety.
Hawkins led Kentucky with 8-interceptions in ’20, collected 124-interception return yards, registered 30-tackles, scored a pick-six, and had 10 passes broken up (PBU). At season’s end, Hawkins was honorably mentioned on the Coach’s All-State team published in the Courier-Journal. Hawkins also made the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s, All-Defense Team.
He’s undeniably a WR too and is being recruited at both positions by a wide variety of suitors. Hawkins had 34-receptions on offense in ’20 for 426-receiving yards and a couple of TDs.
We are about to demonstrate why he is being recruited heavily by suitors from Cincinnati and Wofford to Kentucky Wesleyan, with Wesleyan having already offered this prospect in March of this year. This guy has 4.46-second, 40-yard dash speed, and a 3.0 GPA.
He has corner speed and a great frame and length for a D-1 corner, with sufficient frame to project at safety in college too or “bulked-up” and deployed at OLB in some schemes. Perhaps most importantly, Hawkins has the grades to buttress the argument he won’t struggle to gain eligibility from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
Now, Dixie Heights is a 6A-heavyweight in Kentucky coming off a 7-4 season in ’20 with narrow losses to both Covington Catholic (5A power) and Corbin (4A power). Should Hawkins wish to demonstrate to recruiters his high-level of performance, the ’21 schedule should provide ample opportunity.
From information released online by the school, it appears the Colonels will battle Covington Catholic in Covington, Kentucky in September, host Highlands for Homecoming, and then entertain Beechwood (who has “Mr. Football” reclassified and immediately eligible owing to SB-128) the 1st of October. They also have to regularly contest Simon Kenton and Ryle, so opportunities to “show-out” against quality athletes is literally boundless.
That Dixie Heights bunch figures to be tough in ’21. That is generally the case with talents like Landers and Hawkins on the roster.
This is HB Lyon reporting for Kentucky Prep Gridiron reminding you that WE’RE JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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