University of Delaware Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Defensive Line
- Email:
Hawkins oversaw the development of all-conference DL Melkart Abou-Jaoude, who had a breakout 2024 season. Hawkins helped lead UD's defense to record 28 sacks on the season, the most since 2017.
Hawkins came to Delaware after spending the 2023 season at the University of South Florida where he was the quality control analyst for the defensive line. The Bulls allowed just 143.8 rushing yards per game to their opponents in 2023 and opposing quarterbacks were sacked 23 times.
Prior to USF, Hawkins was a part of the University of North Carolina football staff during the 2022 season and was at the University of Colorado for the 2021 football season, serving as a graduate assistant at both stops and working with the defensive line. He spent the 2021 summer interning with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, where he was a recipient of a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
Hawkins coached the defensive line at Division II Emory & Henry College during the 2021 spring season. Under his tutelage, the defense led the country in sacks with 26, averaging or 6.5 per game, and boasted the conference defensive player of the year and three all-conference linemen.
For five months in 2020, Hawkins served as the inside linebackers coach and run game coordinator at Alderson Broaddus University. That followed a year at East Carolina University (2019) where he assisted the Pirates’ defensive line coach and defensive coordinator in several areas as a graduate assistant, while also leading the scout team meetings among his other duties.
Hawkins broke into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at his alma mater JMU for the 2018 season. He aided the full-time coaches in film breakdown and playbook installation, as well as running scout team meetings and coordinating the scout team in practice.
A four-year letterwinner for the Dukes, Hawkins appeared in 55 games with 46 starts at linebacker over his career. He helped lead JMU to an FCS national championship in 2016 and a national runner-up finish in 2017. JMU went 46-9 during his career, qualifying for the FCS playoffs all four seasons and posting a 28-4 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play, winning three league titles.
Hawkins led JMU in tackles three different years and finished his career with 340 tackles, 14 pass breakups, five fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and an interception. He earned All-CAA First Team honors and All-America Second Team recognition as a senior, when he was also voted the Dukes' most valuable defensive player and one of the team’s captains.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports and recreation management with a minor in general business from James Madison University in 2017.
