'09 FL LB Brandin Hawthorne (Michigan Verbal)

[GoRU]

'09 FL LB Brandin Hawthorne



Outside linebacker
Pahokee (FL) Pahokee

Ht: 6-foot-1
Wt: 181 lbs
Forty: 4.6 secs
Bench max: 305 pounds
Vertical: 36 inches
Shuttle: 4.4 secs
Class: 2009 (High School)

ESPN

Hawthorne possesses all the physical tools for a college program to mold into a disruptive perimeter player at the next level if they are patient with his development. He can run, close, and hit and has incredible upside. Tall, rangy frame with a very long wingspan; should play at close to 225-pounds at next level while retaining his good play speed and athleticism. Exerts a lot of energy and intensity pursuing the football. Plays up close to the line of scrimmage in a heavy pressure defense which exploits all his best skills. Good vertical attacker with striking quickness and burst off the edge. Sheds and escapes quickly; feisty getting over blocks and doesn't stay blocked for long. Strings the run out well to the sideline. Can sift through the wash and displays good lateral fluidity and mobility. Good bend off the edge, redirects well in space and closes fast and strong. Could develop into a effective college blitzer with long frame, first-step quickness, flexibility and closing speed. Shows he can work the edge, attack half the body and get underneath the blockers pads with a rip. Great range, covers a lot of ground quickly despite lacking great 40 time on paper. Will turn and chase and does not give up on the play. Flashes some fast-twitched burst when he gets a clear read. Strong tackler with some good pop on contact and raw upper-body strength tossing down ball carriers. However, size is a concern. Lets blockers get inside hand placement and struggles maintaining base at the point of attack. Needs to add major bulk and strength to separate and keep blockers off his body while he locates the ball. Currently lacks the power and weight through his hips and lower body to jolt blockers upright and consistently run through ball carriers limiting second efforts. Doesn't always diagnose the play quickly and is better when he is allowed to attack freely and clearly off the edge. Could struggle reading and reacting through the fast moving traffic at the next level. Pass coverage skills are raw. Bottom line, we feel Hawthorne is greatly underrated and is a definite late bloomer with a ton of natural gifts to develop at the next level. Expect his stock to take off.

The Bull Gator: USF First to Offer Brandin Hawthorne

Pahokee High School (Pahokee, FL) linebacker Brandin Hawthorne received a scholarship offer from the Bulls. USF is the first school to extend an offer to Hawthorne, but more will follow. He is projected to be an outside linebacker at the college level despite playing a lot of defensive end in high school. But I have to be honest, at 6’1” and around 190 pounds; he needs to put on a lot of weight to play LB successfully for a big program. The way he plays, he seems like he might be able to make the transition to safety. Hawthorne is very quick on the field and is a big hitter. He seems very excited about the USF offer and likes the fact that he would be able to stay close to home and have his family see him play. Auburn, Clemson, Florida, and Michigan have also expressed interest.

Who will be 2008's football stars? | Inside Preps

Brandin Hawthorne, Pahokee, LB Hawthorne (6-1, 181) is strong against the run and quick enough to fall into coverage against the pass. Possible options for him include Michigan, USF, Clemson, Louisville and Buffalo.

[HotMic]

Scout $

6/5

From the USF site. Hawthorne says his top five is Michigan, USF, Louisville, Tennesse and West Virginia, in that order. He lsays that he likes everything about Michigan, and will announce during a nationally televised game his team has this year.

[HotMic]

Scout $

6/7

From the Michigan site. Hawthorne again talks highly of Michigan, and says he will visit in September for an official visit. Friend and former teammate Odoms is pushing him to Michigan, and is one reason he named Michigan his leader earlier this week.

[GoRU]

No surprise Hawthorne getting attention from USF - 06/22/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

A LOT OF ATTENTION

Perhaps, at this point, nobody more than Hawthorne. The 6-1, 205-pound outside linebacker prospect racked up more than a dozen solo tackles in Pahokee's spring game -- an 18-7 win against Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer and an example of the defense's dominance.

On the college scene, Hawthorne's ''stock is exploding,'' according to Blue Devils coach Blaze Thompson. Hawthorne is ranked No. 17 on recruiting analyst Larry Blustein's Palm Beach list. He also has received plenty of offers, but has ''only five that I'm really concerned about'' -- Michigan, South Florida, Louisville, Tennessee and West Virginia.

His teammates certainly aren't surprised at the attention.

''Brandin's a monster,'' Hickman said. ``He goes 100 percent -- the whole play, the whole game -- he's just a monster. It's good to have him on your team. You don't have to sit around and wait for somebody else to make the play, because he's going to make the play.''

[GoRU]

ESPN - Brandin Hawthorne Rankings, Grade, News, Stats - College Football Recruiting 2009

ESPN 150 Watch Lister Brandin Hawthorne will choose between South Florida, West Virginia, Michigan, Tennessee and Louisville during an Aug. 30th game against Olive Branch (Miss.) to be televised on ESPN, affiliate Web site InsideTheU.com reports.

Hawthorne will then take official visits to all those schools except South Florida and will travel to Iowa State instead.

Last season, the 6-foot-1, 181-pounder racked up more than 80 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and nine sacks.

[HotMic]

Scout $

7/10

By B Lichtenfels. Video interview with Hawthorne who names Michigan, South Florida West Virginia, Louisville and Tennessee as his favorites.

[GoRU]

Florida teammates poised to pledge to Michigan | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

In the class of 2009, Michigan has already received a verbal commitment from Apopka, Fla., athlete Jeremy Gallon, and is in position to receive several more. Among the strongest possibilities are Pahokee, Fla., teammates Vincent Smith and Brandin Hawthorne. Both prospects are set to announce their commitments at Pahokee’s Kickoff Classic game Aug. 30.

Michigan set a precedent at Pahokee when they signed wide receiver Martavious Odoms from that school in the 2008 class. His pledge helped fix his teammates eyes on the Maize and Blue and now both could be joining him in Ann Arbor in 2009.

FlaVarsity.com publisher Michael Langston, who has covered both Pahokee prospects’ careers the past few years, feels Michigan is the team that has the best chance to land both players.

“With Vincent, it’s the ties there, how he would fit into the system and the fact that Michigan offered him first,” Langston said. “With Brandin, he feels comfortable with that staff and feels he can come right in and play linebacker or whatever position they are going to play him. There’s no guarantees, but those are reasons why I think those two will pick Michigan.”

Smith, a 5-foot-7, 159-pound running back prospect with explosive speed and jaw-dropping agility, also holds offers from the likes of Tennessee, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Minnesota, but has consistently listed Michigan among his favorites.

Hawthorne, at 6-1, 196 pounds, played defensive end as a junior, but projects to the outside linebacker position in college. Besides Michigan, Hawthorne has offers from the likes of Tennessee, West Virginia, South Florida and Louisville.

Hawthorne said Monday that his decision will come down to Michigan, West Virginia and South Florida, but he also predicted that he and Smith would be playing together in college. Michigan is the one school remaining on both prospects’ lists, so the writing appears to be on the wall.

“What stands out (about Michigan) is playing in front of those 100,000-plus fans,” Hawthorne said.

[HotMic]

Scout $

7/29

By A Trieu. Hawthorne is down to Michigan, West Virginia, Tennessee, Louisville and South Florida and will decide Aug. 30th on ESPN. Since he will make his choice before he can take visits, he will continued to take official visits even after he makes his choice.

[GoRU]

Hawthorne has New Final Two | soflafootball.com

Down to Michigan and Louisville. Will still commit in the next week, but plans to take his official visits later.

[GoRU]

Pahokee's Smith, Hawthorne headed to Michigan

Running back Vincent Smith and defensive end Brandin Hawthorne, two of the top recruits in Palm Beach County, announced their intent to play for the University of Michigan next year.

Smith picked the Wolverines over Tennessee, and Hawthorne's runner-up was Louisville.