Nyquee Hawkins Brings Second Big Commitment of Week for Hokies

Well, after Bryan Hudson committed on the 10^th, I had a feeling we wouldn’t be seeing the last of the commitment wire for the week. Lo and behold:

And thus, Nyquee Hawkins announced his intention to announce something, and, well…

Then he did that. So, indeed, Hawkins is the sixth commitment to #EnterNight19, and the second defensive back, joining Mike Sainristil. He is the first commitment from New Jersey- side note, between Bryce Watts, Tyree Rodgers, and now Hawkins, Coach Mitchell has been mining Jersey for corners like crazy- and the second highest ranked commitment to the class so far. The hokies have definitely picked up people out of Jersey before, so it’s not like it’s a surprise. Aside from the aforementioned corners, Yosuah Nijman, Tyrell Smith, Billy Ray Mitchell, Ryan Malleck, and Jason Worilds all came from the Garden State.

Hawkins’s primary recruiter was indeed Coach Mitchell. He’s likely to play corner at Tech considering the dearth of depth for that position. As for rankings, he a consensus four star by average rating, but not fully. He’s a 5.8 four star for Rivals (8^th in his state, 31^st at his position (corner), not rated nationally), an 81 rated four star on ESPN (4^th in his state, 19^th at his position (corner), 182^nd nationally), but an 88 three star on 247 (6^th in his state, 28^th ranked at his position (safety), and 416^th nationally). Overall, the composite has him at 278^th nationally, the 20^th ranked safety, and the 6^th ranked player in New Jersey. So, there’s probably a bit of discrepancy 247 will correct if they re-rank him as a corner. Virginia Tech beat out a crowded field of offers, including Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, NC State, Nebraska, UNC, Pitt, and Penn State, among others.

Let’s take a look at the tape really quick to see what the Hokies are getting out of this new commitment.

Nyquee Hawkins (Orange, NJ. 6’-0”, 180lbs. Cornerback)

Hawkins has some running back tape, sure, but his defensive back tape is the focus of the review. There are a lot of things to like. He’s really good in tight man-on coverage, and pretty quick to the ball in zone. He’s played at corner and at safety in his high school career, which is the kind of versatility that Foster demands from his defensive backs. I like his ball skills in open space, and he’s plenty physical enough that he can come up and make impactful tackles. His speed is good, not necessarily great, but he’s overall a very solid athlete and more than capable of learning the cornerback position. I thin he misses on across-the-board four star status (or higher placement) thanks to lacking the absolute top-end attributes that a lot of these sites look for, but that doesn’t prevent him from absolutely being worth a scholarship.

Welcome to Virginia Tech, Nyquee, and leave the door open- someone might be in right after you.