Louisville football: Javian Hawkins warrants serious conversation for ACC rookie of the year
Louisville football running back Javian Hawkins is off to an unprecedented start to the 2019 season. Making a case for Hawkins as the ACC’s top freshman.
It’s time that college football fans start to recognize a name that figures to be among the most electric players to watch over the next couple of years in Louisville football’s, Javian Hawkins.
Amid a start to the 2019 season that has yielded better results than most expected in Louisville’s first year under the tutelage of head coach Scott Satterfield, the Cards have leaned on Hawkins as their go-to guy in the backfield.
AJ Dillon. Cam Akers… Those are the only two players who sit in front of Hawkins among the conference’s leaders in rushing yards. And among the ACC’s top three rushers through six weeks, only Hawkins has eclipsed the 6 yards per carry mark (6.2 ypc), a full yard more than the two veteran backs ahead of him.
On Saturday, squaring off against Dillon’s Eagles, it was Hawkins who came out on top against the 2017 ACC Rookie of the Year.
Two weeks prior, Hawkins and the Cards went down to the wire against the former No. 1 running back in the 2016 class in Akers and the Florida State Seminoles. After FSU went ahead 21-0 early in the second quarter, the Cards went away from the run en route to a comeback that featured 24 unanswered.
Hawkins wasn’t going to let the game get out of hand against his next opponent. He surpassed his previous game’s total yards gained on the first drive against Boston College and broke off a 47-yard gain that led to Louisville’s first score. He finished the game by leading a game-winning drive that featured a 12-yard run that pushed a host of Eagles defenders backward, and a 28-yard sprint that put Louisville into field goal range with just over two minutes to play.
Overall, Hawkins has been more than a pleasant surprise for Louisville football. After all, it was his backfield mate Hassan Hall who was expected to be the star of this year’s team after being a bright spot on an abysmal 2-10 squad last year.
After some concern arose when Hawkins was listed as the starter to begin the season, his 122-yard performance against Notre Dame on Labor Day silenced any critics and proved that he was a legitimate starter.
Now, Louisville’s offense is in full swing, mixing an improving passing attack with electric runs from Hawkins, who leads the ACC’s No. 1 rushing offense.
Hawkins’ 570 yards on only 93 rushes this season have him on pace to gain nearly 1,400 yards on the year, which would be the best mark from a rookie back in the league since Dillon accounted for 1,589 yards over 13 games played in 2017.
If Hawkins wants to earn the conference rookie of the year honors, however, he will have tough competition in North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell. The freshman has already accounted for 1,500 yards passing and 15 touchdowns through his first six games.
Other candidates are sure to emerge, and Hawkins will still have to continue his strong start through a tough back half of Louisville’s schedule.
However, at this point, it seems like a given that Hawkins will be the first Cards running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark since Bilal Powell did so in 2011.
No player could have turned things on at more of a perfect time than Javian Hawkins, and now Louisville football is positioned to go into three consecutive conference games against ranked opponents and secure a big-time win.
Next. Game balls: Offense shines against Boston College. dark
With Hawkins on a tear, it feels like Louisville is trending upward at just the right time.