For soph safety Hawkins, defense is his middle name
Jaylinn Hawkins seemed destined for this.
After all, his middle name is D.
The widely recruited receiver was moved to defense when he got to Cal. His talent for playing safety has since emerged, and his ability to patrol the secondary will be significantly tested against USC’s high-powered offense Saturday.
The No. 5 Trojans, led by Heisman candidate quarterback Sam Darnold, have averaged 334 passing yards per game in their 3-0 start. Deontay Burnett and Steve Mitchell have combined for 609 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
“It’s a faceless opponent,” Hawkins said. “We focus on ourselves, and we prepare like we’re playing the Super Bowl every week.”
Hawkins can excel at this tactic, because he has lived the life of a receiver who strikes fear in opponents.
The 6-foot-2, 205pound sophomore led Buena Park High (Orange County) to a 25-9 record during his three years on varsity, including 80 catches for 1,476 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior.
After being injured his first season in Berkeley, Hawkins really started to adapt to defense last year — starting the final three games, including a 10tackle day against Stanford. He won a highly competitive, three-man race for a starting spot this season and hasn’t disappointed.
Hawkins is averaging 5.5 tackles per game, which ranks fifth on the team. He had an interception in Saturday’s 27-16 victory over Mississippi, part of a performance that scored Pro Football Focus’ top ranking among Pac-12 safeties and earned him captain honors for this week’s game.
“Those are blessings, but I’m just here to win football games,” Hawkins said. “I’m playing for my brothers and for the team. The individual accolades that come are just part of what I’m trying to do for the team.”
Hawkins’ impact on the vastly improved Cal defense could best be seen against Weber State on Sept. 9. He was sidelined with an injury, and the Bears allowed 431 passing yards and didn’t intercept a pass against the FCS school.
In the two games Hawkins has played this season, both against Power 5 conference schools, Cal has allowed 292 passing yards per game and has intercepted five passes.
“That was a struggle. It was hard watching the Weber State game,” Hawkins said. “I was trying to be a leader on the sideline by motivating my teammates. I take that very seriously.”
Hawkins has long taken football seriously. He started playing at age 4 and proclaimed to anyone who would listen that he was going to play in the NFL.
“If I’m going to play this sport, why not play it at the highest level?” said Hawkins, who has a believer in Cal freshman receiver Jeremiah Hawkins.
Although Jeremiah Hawkins is the younger of the two, he is the brother of Jaylinn Hawkins’ father, so the freshman is technically the uncle of the sophomore. But it’s clear who gets the best of the pair’s push-and-pull competitions.
“He big-boys me,” Jeremiah Hawkins joked. “It’s a wonderful relationship, and he teaches me so much on the field.
“He brings everything he has out on the field. He really plays with a chip on his shoulder. He plays his heart out. He’s a ball-hawk safety, who comes out and makes plays.”