“Speed kills,” has been stated over and over again in football. Strength can be conventionally developed, technique can be taught, but speed is something that can’t be coached. There are drills to help develop speed, but at the end of the day, a player is either fast or not. As such, players that have that kind of rare, game breaking speed are coveted by coaches at every level. Jerrae Hawkins, a 2024 product from Wheeling Park High School in Wheeling, West Virginia possesses that kind of elite speed, and an offer list to match.
The biggest concern with Hawkins at this time is his size, listed at 5’9” and 170 pounds, Hawkins is undoubtedly small for a Power Five player. That said, there have been a multitude of players of similar size and build that have been highly successful at the Power Five level. What’s more, many of those players have possessed a skillset similar to the one that Hawkins has. Hawkins is also well muscled, and built solidly for his frame. He shows a nice stiff arm when running with the ball, and a willingness to run through contact. Hawkins runs much bigger than he is, which is just another reason teams shouldn’t be concerned about his size when evaluating him as a receiver or a corner.
Now, some players have an extra gear, but Hawkins has a few more. This young man possesses the speed to make defenders look silly, grabbing at air and taking what they think are good angles, only to have Hawkins badly outrun the angle. On multiple plays while the Patriots were facing off against the University High Hawks, Hawkins was given a jet sweep that looked to be totally snuffed out by a good Hawk defense. The average on those plays was around a 15 yard gain for Hawkins, who just got the corner before anyone on the defense could get far enough outside to set the edge. Once that corner was turned, Hawkins has the balance and quickness to get up field and accelerate to top speed in a step. Each time the ball comes to Hawkins, breath catches in every throat in the stadium. The young man is a highlight reel waiting to happen, a threat to make an incredible play each time he touches the ball. That is likely to be the case at the next level as well.
While blistering speed is the defining trait of how Hawkins plays, there is more to the young man. He runs very crisp routes, flashing his balance and quickness on sharp cuts to create space and get himself open. Hawkins will need to further develop his route tree as he progresses, but he runs the routes he is asked to with impressive sharpness and suddenness. He is capable of breaking off on a route from full speed to a hard stop in a step, catching the ball, and then accelerating right back to full speed. Hawkins is incredibly dangerous after the catch, as illustrated on a short throw he turned into a long touchdown against University.
Hawkins runs with more physicality than many would expect, whether as a receiver or runner. He also plays corner for the Patriots, and shows a willingness to come up and make tackles, even on much larger players. That physicality and willingness to tackle and initiate contact will combine with the fluid hips, blistering speed, and excellent ball skills to have some teams evaluate Hawkins as a corner as well. Late in the game, with University High driving to try to make it a one possession game, Hawkins was one on one with the best receiver for the Hawks. He managed to break on a ball thrown a bit off target and behind, intercepted it, and turned it into an 80 yard pick six to put the game away. Hawkins is likely too explosive with the ball in his hands to land on defense, but all the tools are there for a special man to man corner.
Jerrae Hawkins still has a year to hone his skills and see who comes calling for his services. Currently, he holds offers from Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Hawkins also mentioned in his post game interview that Ohio State had been talking with him as well. Surprisingly, no SEC school has given Hawkins an offer yet, and seeing if that changes, along with how it impacts his decision, should be captivating to watch as the dynamic playmaker makes his decision.
