Boulder – To be funny or quirky or mysterious or suspenseful, Cody Hawkins had his mother sign two letters of intent.
One to Colorado, one to Boise State.
It wasn’t until the fax machine in the CU football office spit out the signed letter of intent Wednesday that both his parents, Dan and Misti Hawkins, were certain of where their son would spend his college years.
“I’ve always just tried to be his dad and let him make his own choice,” said Dan, CU’s new football coach.
Cody Hawkins headlined a class of 21 recruits who signed letters of intent Wednesday in his father’s first class at CU. It’s a group the elder Hawkins is not dismissing, even though he and his staff didn’t have much time to put it together after he took over for Gary Barnett in mid- December.
“I’ve seen plenty of football players with zero stars come in and do a great job,” Dan Hawkins said, referring to recruiting rankings. “So I don’t know that any recruiting on any level is an exact science, and we all know that. I think you have to go get the right guys for your place, then you’ve got to coach them up.”
Still, according to Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree, CU’s class – which his website ranks 49th – contains players “that in other years he wouldn’t even look at.”
But, said CSTV.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: “I was really impressed with what Hawkins and his staff were able to do under the circumstances. I predict that Colorado will sign one of the nation’s top classes next year. You can get a feel for what a staff can do in recruiting. Hawkins has a good staff.”
Hawkins said he and his staff are already working on next year’s class. But his first CU recruiting group continued a familiar trend in his years as head coach – signing large numbers of offensive and defensive linemen.
“I totally believe that your team is built up front,” Hawkins said. “I’m a big believer in that. … I think we made some major strides there.”
The Buffs signed five offensive linemen and three defensive linemen. And, despite the philosophy of CU offensive line coach Chris Strausser to find smaller, faster players, the average weight of the Buffs’ five signees is 298 pounds. Take away 245-pound long-snapper Justin Drescher, and the average balloons to 311 pounds.
By contrast, none of the three defensive linemen weighs more than 265. But according to Hawkins, there is plenty of substance.
“I do think we’ve got some quality guys who are going to help us and bring some talent and bring some depth in there,” Hawkins said.
In all, there were 12 offensive players (five linemen, three running backs, two tight ends, one quarterback and one receiver) and nine defensive players (three linemen, three linebackers and three defensive backs).
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Cody Hawkins won’t make an immediate impact. In order to put on some weight, he will grayshirt – meaning he won’t enroll in school until January and cannot participate in organized football activities until then. Nevertheless, he was the talk of the day.
“The guy is very accurate. He’s extremely poised; he’s had to pull some games out of the hat and make some plays,” Dan Hawkins said. “I love everything about him. If he were 6-foot-2, he might be (labeled) the best quarterback in the country.”
Footnotes
CU spring football has been moved up this year and will begin March 13. There are two sessions around spring break. The second session starts April 3. … Offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus (shoulder surgery) will not participate in spring drills. Wide receiver Blake Mackey (knee injury) is questionable for spring football. The outlook is better for cornerback Terrence Wheatley (wrist), who is probable for the spring, and linebacker Jason Ackermann (knee) is listed as full-go for March.
Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
