2023 Florida Safety Cedrick Hawkins Signs With Ohio State

HAWKINS PROFILE

Hometown: Titusville, Fla.

High School: Cocoa

Size: 6-foot-0, 175 pounds

Composite Ranking: ★★★★

Commitment Date: Jan. 1, 2022

Did it the right way and came out on top. A Florida state champion, all the grit and savvy you could ask for. The kid from Titusville, FL is on the way to Columbus and he’s ready to make a difference for BIA. Welcome to The Brotherhood Cedrick Hawkins#CHO23N | @cedrick_hawkins pic.twitter.com/C0qH26U7Zm
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 21, 2022

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Recruitment Recap: Cedrick Hawkins landed an offer from Ohio State after attending a one-day camp in June 2021, and grew close with running backs coach/area recruiter Tony Alford in the months thereafter.

He committed to the Buckeyes during the second quarter of the Rose Bowl – which Ohio State ultimately went on to win, 48-45 – over offers from home-state programs like Florida, Florida State, Miami (Fla.) and UCF.

Hawkins’ commitment was notable in that Ohio State had not yet named Perry Eliano its new safeties coach after secondary coach Matt Barnes was named the new defensive coordinator at Memphis.

That – plus an early commitment from a South Florida prospect – had some wondering if Hawkins’ pledge would stick, and an official visit to Auburn in June added to those worries.

However, he made his way to campus to twice this fall, attending the season-opening win over Notre Dame and blowout of Iowa in October, and ultimately signed on the dotted line on Wednesday.

Evaluation: “Hawkins has got great length and his natural instincts are really good. He’s got this attacking mentality where he’s making plays when the ball is in the air like he’s a bigger wide receiver. He’s a competitive kid who never comes off the field, talking crap and making plays on both sides of the ball.

“Think of Kye Stokes from the class of 2022, but more polished as a defensive back. Kye is kind of a raw centerfielder who is just reacting, while Hawkins has more polish right now, even though he’s a year younger. That nickel safety role kind of makes sense.”

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