Clemson’s 2028 recruiting class got off to a really good start on Thursday.
Four-star quarterback Trace Hawkins (Calhoun, GA) announced a commitment to the Tigers, choosing Clemson over mostly LSU. Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Duke also had hats on the table, but this had boiled down to a battle between the two Tigers in recent weeks.
Both Clemson and LSU offered in June, and Hawkins had said publicly that those were the two programs that had separated themselves. In fact, the quarterback had been planning a visit to Tiger Stadium for the season opener between the two teams on September 5.
Having said all of that, after speaking with multiple sources, I am pretty comfortable in saying that it was Clemson that was pushing harder at this point. LSU has offers out to six other uncommitted quarterbacks currently, with four of those ranking among the top five players at the position. Not to mention, in recent years, LSU has shown a willingness to spend big on the position in the portal. Lane Kiffin’s pursuit of a quarterback in this class could still go in a number of directions.
That was not the case for Dabo Swinney and Chad Morris. After Clemson had a number of high-profile quarterbacks come in and work out at camp the first week of June, the staff had zeroed in on just two of those guys. Hawkins and three-star Trey Wright. As per usual with Clemson and its quarterback targets, it was a first-come, first-served type of deal.
Hawkins becomes the Tigers’ first verbal pledge in the next recruiting cycle, and it comes at the most important position on the field. For the third consecutive year, Clemson has its quarterback before the month of July ends, and that will allow the staff to build the rest of the class around Hawkins, while also affording him an opportunity to help recruit.
That’s not the only good news. Hawkins seems like a really good fit for what most envision the passing game will look like under Morris. The 6-foot-1 signal-caller likes to push the ball down the field, but where he really shines is with the intermediate stuff. And he makes good decisions with the football, as evidenced by Hawkins throwing just three picks all of last season.
Hawkins is more of a pocket passer at this stage of his career, but he has proven that he’s able to make something happen with his legs when a play breaks down. As a standout basketball player at his high school, as well, he certainly possesses the athletic ability to be dangerous when he does take off. However, he only had 31 rushing attempts during his sophomore season.
Just as important, Hawkins has also proven he can step up in some of the bigger moments. As a freshman, he helped lead Calhoun to a 3A Georgia state title, winning MVP of the championship game after accounting for 231 yards of offense and a touchdown in a 20-7 win over Jefferson.
At the end of the day, this is a really good start to Clemson’s 2028 class. Even better, the staff has landed a quarterback who projects to have a pretty high ceiling at the next level.
