Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Brad Hawkins In 2020

Brad Hawkins is going to be a major part of Michigan's defense in 2020.

Author:
Brandon Brown
Publish date:
Jul 13, 2020 2:52 PM EDT

We continue our series as we look at each potential contributor on Michigan's roster in numerical order and look at what would be a stellar, standard and subpar season in 2020.

We're on to No. 20, senior safety Brad Hawkins.

As a junior in 2019, Hawkins appeared in 11 games with 10 starts. He missed a couple games with a minor injury, but that allowed freshman Daxton Hill to earn some extra snaps and really show what he's capable of in year one. Hawkins is routinely in the right place at the right time and made 53 tackles and broke up a pass in while on the field.

At 6-1, 218 pounds, Hawkins has a great build for a safety and great ball skills as a former four-star wide receiver. As a senior, he's never going to come off the field and should provide some really important and well-placed leadership for Hill entering year two and potential starting cornerback Vincent Gray and other young players.

Hawkins is going to be a major contributor for Michigan in 2020, but what will it look like?

Stellar

All of these expectations need to be shifted a bit now that Michigan is only playing a nine-game schedule, so we'll say that a stellar season, production wise, is the same as last year with at least two interceptions. Hawkins was robbed of a pick against Notre Dame last year because of a phantom pass interference call against Khaleke Hudson, but he doesn't have one in three years at U-M. Honestly, that's unacceptable for a starting safety. Hawkins is a very good player, but he needs to make some splash plays in his final year at Michigan.

Standard

Hawkins is going to play a lot, and the production is going to be there. If he finishes with 45-50 tackles, a couple of pass break ups and just one interception, that would be just fine for a nine-game season. If he can be involved in some takeaways, whether it's a tipped pass that leads to a pick, a pick of his own, a forced fumble or a recovery, that would be a plus, but if he finishes his career like it's been so far, he'll still go down as a very good player for U-M.

Subpar

A subpar season for Hawkins would be one that's just not very productive because I don't see any situation where he doesn't play a lot. If he finishes the season with 35 tackles or less, no takeaways and no big plays, that wouldn't be the best capper for his career. It can be hard to predict what defensive backs are going to do, but the really good ones seem to have a knack for making plays and swinging momentum for their teams.

My Thoughts

I think Hawkins is what he is at this point, so I'll predict a standard season. I can see him playing a ton of snaps, making nice plays on defense, especially against the run, and finishing his career as a very good contributor. I see him finishing with around 50 tackles with a pass breakup or two and that's it.

He's played a lot of football, so for him to have no takeaways or turnovers forced is noteworthy. I really like his game, and think he'll be extremely essential to U-M's defensive success, but I'm just not sure he's the ballhawk safety that Daxton Hill appears to be, and that's ok. If I'm wrong, I think it'll be in the positive direction, meaning Hawkins ends up making some really nice splash plays in 2020. I don't see any way he finishes his career on a low note.