Javian Hawkins is Staying Humble and Leading His Teammates
It didn't take long for Javian Hawkins to burst onto to the scenes at Louisville and on the national level.
After carrying the ball just one time for seven yards before taking a redshirt in 2018, the Titusville, Fla. native exploded in his first full season of action.
He would go on to rush for 1,525 yards - the seventh-most in the nation - as well as score nine touchdowns last season. He not only broke the freshman rushing record for a running back held by Victor Anderson, but also the school single-season rushing record for a running back held by Howard Stevens.
Over the course of the current offseason, Hawkins has been named to the watch lists for both the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards as a result of his breakout 2019 season. Even with all the hype surrounding him heading into 2020, the redshirt sophomore is having no issue staying grounded.
"I think he's still humble," running backs coach Norv McKenzie said in a teleconference following Wednesday's practice. "He and I talk a lot about the preseason accolades and what not. That's a compliment to what he did last season, but as you guys know he has to kind of hit the reset button and wipe his slate clean."
Fortunately, that's exactly what Hawkins was doing even before the national awards were on the horizon. While quarantined in his home state of Florida over the summer, he worked with a personal trainer to keep him in peak physical condition. He also used that time to work on his quickness and his feet.
"He's come back in great shape," McKenzie said. "He's come back willing to work and ready to work, is doing everything we asked and doing really good in all the drills and all the team segments."
He's not just focusing on himself however. Accompanied by running back/kick returner Hassan Hall, the duo have been trying to bring up the younger guys in the running back room and be a leader for them.
"They lead by example by how hard they practice. I think the guys that's behind them are trying to match their ability and intensity," McKenzie continued. "They've done a really good job in term of bringing those guys along from a mental standpoint and also a physical standpoint."
Louisville will return to the practice fields on Thursday at 4:00pm, and are set to kickoff the season against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Cardinal Stadium.
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