[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman][FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2]One of the top returning junior college offensive lineman for the recruiting class of 2012 has received an offer from the Kentucky Wildcats and Joker Philips. Will this mammoth left tackle make a visit to Lexington and check out the Cats? Nationofblue.com checked in with him to find out.[/SIZE][/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Northwest Mississippi College lineman Donald Hawkins blocking skills have improved by leaps and bounds since he left high school. And, to the delight of college football coaches across the country, his academics have improved, as well. That’s how he found himself at Northwest.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]“Well, I admit…,” Hawkins paused, “academics had something to do with it. I wasn’t highly recruited in high school, so I only had one verbal offer. My high school wasn’t known for football, really. I kept missing my ACT test, and when I finally took it, I didn’t get a good enough score. My one verbal offer went away. So, Northwest asked me to come up, and it wasn’t very far from home. I signed, and that’s how I got here.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Lucky for Hawkins [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][I]and[/I][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000] Northwest. A bit of a late bloomer, Hawkins was a big part of the Ranger squad that was [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]MACJC north division champion with an undefeated regular season, and a NJCAA No. 6 final ranking [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]for 2010. He was a lead blocker for Northwest running back Daniel Thomas, who was picked 62[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]nd[/COLOR][COLOR=#000000] overall in the latest NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]So how did Kentucky get involved with the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Hawkins, when their previous junior college experiments on the offensive line have had lukewarm success, at best, in the past few years?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]“I want to say that I’ve been hearing from them since the spring. I was hearing from a lot of schools, but one day my defensive coordinator called me in and told me that Coach Joker Philips was asking about me. I have to admit, again, that I wasn’t familiar with Coach Philips. But my defensive coordinator said he was friends with him. We talked on the phone and had a long conversation about them recruiting me. Ever since, I have had a real close relationship with Coach Philips.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Kentucky has some competition for Hawkins’ services. Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, and Southern Mississippi have also offered, with the home state Bulldogs considered by many the favorite. Hawkins said he is expecting more offers as the summer moves along. “I don’t really have a favorite school,” Hawkins also said, when asked about a leader. “I think my potential will really shine this next season, and I’ll have a lot more attention and more offers. So I am holding off a little on making any decisions.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma][SIZE=2][COLOR=#000000]Hawkins did say that UK is trying to get him to campus for a visit. “Coach Philips is wanting me to come up there for a visit. He wanted me to come up this weekend. But I told him that I would rather take my official visit up there during the season, so I could catch one of their games. But I do think that I’ll make Kentucky one of my official visits.”[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
