Kansas State Football: Brenen Hawkins to the Wildcats!

Brenen Hawkins announced his verbal commitment to the Kansas State football program at noon today. Hawkins is a 6’4, 210 pound wide receiver out of Godley High School in Godley, Texas (located north of the DFW Metroplex). The 247 sports composite index has him as a solid 3* star prospect (85), 247 individually has him evaluated slightly higher at (86). Rivals also has him pegged as a 3* prospect (5.5) in their ranking system. ESPN also has him coming in as a 3* prospect (74) in their rankings. Hawkins chose Kansas State over offers from Kansas, Texas Tech, Liberty and Toledo.

High School Stats

2018 (So): 34 receptions, 787 yards, 8 touchdowns

2019 (Jr): 50 receptions, 963 yards, 10 touchdowns

What Brenen Hawkins Brings to the Table

Hawkins is a huge, physical target on the outside. He’s a physical mismatch for all corners and most safeties. His ability to go up and and make contested catches down the field is his elite skill. He uses his large frame to box out smaller corners and make catches that are otherwise well defended. He’s a defensive coordinators nightmare in the read zone because he’s open up top even when he’s covered down below. His size allows a quarterback to put the ball in safe spots where only he can come down with the catch.

In addition to his contested catch and red zone ability, Hawkins is also a willing blocker on the outside who can punish smaller defensive backs trying to get outside on screens. When the ball is in his hands, he’s a punishing runner that can shake off tackles. He solid long speed once he gets his long legs churning, making it hard for safeties to run him down from behind when he gets behind a defense.

Highlights

Workout Video

How He Fits in the Kansas State Offense

Physically, Hawkins is a Chabastin Taylor clone, and will play a similar role in the offense as an isolated, boundary wide receiver in most formations. His size and skill set dictates safety help on every deep route, opening up the wide side of the field even if he’s not targeted. If the Kansas State quarterback finds him in a 1 on 1 match up on the outside, it’s an automatic throw to his side. He can also be an asset in the quick outside passing game, collecting short passes and grinding out yards against smaller perimeter players.

If you see him lined up wide to the field side, look for a wide receiver screen to the slot receiver with Hawkins clearing the path on the outside. While his elite skill is making catches down the field and in the red zone, his overall skill set is solid.

What the Recruiting World is Talking About

Sam Spiegelman, a recruiting analyst for Rivals, listed Hawkins as one of 10 prospects now on the radar after Prime 21 camp.

He says, “Hawkins is a mismatch in the passing game. At 6’4, and 200 pounds he has a tremendous size advantage. He’s also extremely athletic and has fantastic hands and knows how to use his frame to his advantage, which was noticeable going toe-to-toe with some highly regarded cornerbacks. (this is a free rivals article)

In a later article, Spiegelman lists Hawkins as 1 of 5 wide receivers that would’ve benefited from the summer camp circuit (this is a free Rivals article).

Spiegelman says, “Hawkins is a colossal target in the passing game that makes plays downfield and after the catch....”

Jeremy Clark, an analyst for 247 Sports, says in an article from July 22, 2019 (after his breakout sophomore season), “He was still a raw to the position and needed to work on some of his craft as a receiver. Enter Margin Hooks, who is regarded as one of the top receiver trainers in the state. Shortly after Hawkins started training with Hooks and video of his highlights and training with Hooks began to surface, interest (recruiting) started to come (this is a free 247 article).”

What it Means for Kansas State Recruiting

After a Covid19 induced lull, the Wildcats are on a wide receiver run, adding speed merchant RJ Garcia out of Tampa and Hawkins within the span of a a few days. Improving the overall speed and athleticism of the roster is one of the goals of the 2021 class, and so far, so good.

I think the wide receiver position is full, but adding one more isn’t out of the question if the right player is interested.