Trace Hawkins will be back in Clemson this weekend for the first time as a commit.
The three-star quarterback commit tells The Clemson Insider that he plans to be in attendance for the home opener against Georgia Southern Saturday night, and despite the blowout loss to LSU on Saturday, the signal caller still believes in the Tigers, noting his belief that the team would learn from the experience.
Hawkins became the Tigers’ first verbal pledge of the 2028 class when he announced in late July. Hawkins was one of just two players at the position to land one of Clemson’s opening offers in June.
“The times I have been there, it is home,” Hawkins recently told The Clemson Insider. “As soon as I stepped on campus, I knew this is where I wanted to be.”
The 6-foot signal caller chose the Tigers over other programs, including LSU, Duke, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.
Hawkins completed 10-of-14 passes for 132 yards with one touchdown throw in an extremely productive first half in a season-opening win over Jefferson. However, he’s been sidelined since due to an injury suffered late in the second quarter of that victory.
As a sophomore last season, Hawkins threw for 2,442 yards with 24 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He also had three rushing touchdowns.
Rivals ranks Hawkins No. 255 overall and No. 18 among all quarterbacks in the class. 247 ranks him No. 16 among all players at the position.