Boulder – The thought must have crossed the minds of Colorado football fans last February when Cody Hawkins signed a national letter of intent to play for his father.
Could Dan Hawkins lure another talented quarterback as long as his son played the same position?
That question will be answered today when the elder Hawkins announces Colorado’s 2007 recruiting class during national signing day. The Buffaloes already have a junior college transfer, Nick Nelson, taking classes at CU, and Hawkins is expected to add Matt Ballenger from Skyview High School in Nampa, Idaho.
“It does say something about those two guys,” said Jeremy Crabtree, recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “Obviously, they are competitors and not scared off by Cody being there.”
Dan Hawkins said he was frank with every quarterback he recruited.
“Particularly at the quarterback position, guys you’re recruiting want to know, ‘How many do you have?”‘ Hawkins said. “I tell them: ‘We’re always going to have four quarterbacks. And we’re going to be awesome at that position.’
“I tell them, ‘If you don’t want to compete, don’t come.’ That sets the tone. You want guys that want to compete. Some guys will look at Cody and say: ‘He’s there. What chance do I have?’If Cody is to win the quarterback job, then it’s going to be because he’s better than everybody else.”
Ballenger, 6-feet-4 and beefed up to 220 pounds, according to his high school coach, is rated the top quarterback in Idaho by Internet recruiting sites, just as Cody Hawkins was a year ago. The two have known each other for years.
“Cody’s a great guy, and we talked about it when he was back here for a visit,” Ballenger said. “We agreed that it won’t be a personal battle if it comes down to me against him. It will be a player-against-player battle.”
Cody Hawkins was redshirted this past season but is expected to battle the incumbent, senior-to-be Bernard Jackson, for the starting job this year. Nelson, a 6-2, 215-pounder from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., can participate in spring drills and is expected to be in the mix.
A junior with two years’ eligibility remaining, Nelson said he thought about his chances with Cody Hawkins already at CU, but it didn’t dissuade him.
“In talking with the coaches and with Cody, they’re just into making the program good,” said Nelson, who threw for 2,241 yards and 18 touchdowns last fall as a sophomore. “They’re not going to play sides. The best player is going to get the job.”
Ballenger threw for 1,800 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. He is also among the state’s top basketball players. Ballenger said Dan Hawkins, when at Boise State, began recruiting him as a sophomore.
“I’ve always wanted to play for Coach Hawk,” Ballenger said. “I like his offense and the way he coaches. We’ve got great recruits coming in. He’s going to get it turned around.”
Staff writer Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
