Auburn, Arkansas offer '15 running back Jonathan Hawkins

By Stephen Spiewak May 2, 2012, 12:00am

Central Gwinnett running back already a hot commodity.

Jonathan Hawkins, Central Gwinnett
Jonathan Hawkins, Central Gwinnett
Courtesy photo
It didn't take long for colleges to take note of Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.) freshman running back Jonathan Hawkins.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound running back received scholarship offers this week from Auburn and Arkansas, according to head coach Todd Wofford.

Hawkins was used sparingly as a ninth-grader, but he recorded two touchdowns and made several tackles on defense.

Wofford told MaxPreps in February that Hawkins would emerge as a special player. His word appear to be coming true.



"Last year, I used him primarily as a lead back," Wofford told MaxPreps. "You could see he had to get on the field."

Wofford also said that although he did play Hawkins at linebacker, he projects as a bruising running back at the next level.

"He's huge," he said. "He'll be one of those big LSU-type running backs."

Auburn is hoping that a commitment from teammate Trey Johnson could help land Hawkins, while Arkansas thinks his size would allow Hawkins to fit perfectly in the team's offense.

Christian Kirk, Saguaro
Christian Kirk, Saguaro
Photo by James Konrad
According to Wofford, Hawkins has a 3.5 grade-point average, and is also drawing interest from Notre Dame, Missouri and Miami.

Hawkins is another recruit from the class of 2015 to catch the eye of colleges, as the recruiting process continues to be expedited.



Florida State recently received a commitment from rising sophomore Derwin James Jr. of Auburndale (Fla.)

He was the second player from that class to commit, following David Sills who committed to USC as a seventh-grader.

National champion Alabama was recently in Utah checking out National Freshman of the Year Austin Kafentzis. Fellow signal-caller De'Andre Johnson has already been offered by Clemson.

UCLA and Arizona State have extended verbal offers to Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) freshman sensation Christian Kirk.

Iman Marshall, from talent laden Long Beach Poly (Calif.), has also emerged as a top recruit in the class of 2015.Image for MaxPreps Video.