You could see it coming from a mile away. With one recruiting expert after another predicting that four-star quarterback Trace Hawkins would commit to the Tigers, it was only a matter of time before he did. With him announcing that he would be picking his school of choice on Thursday earlier in the week, it honestly felt like Clemson had this one in the bag for nearly 72 hours. Thankfully, it happened.
Ahead of Thursday's announcement, these were the six finalists for Hawkins' four-star commitment.
- Clemson Tigers
- Duke Blue Devils
- LSU Tigers
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Virginia Tech Hokies
Once it became clear that Hawkins was choosing to Clemson, all Tigers fans had to do was wait it out.
BREAKING: Class of 2028 QB Trace Hawkins has Committed to Clemson, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 30, 2026
The 6’1 190 QB chose the Tigers over Vanderbilt and LSU
“AGTG!! GO TIGERS🐅”https://t.co/MuLN6hnODr pic.twitter.com/apQLdvINvd
According to the 247Sports Composite, Hawkins is the No. 38 prospect from Georgia, the No. 21 quarterback in the nation, and the No. 317 player in the 2028 cycle. The Calhoun, Georgia native was primarily being recruited to Clemson by offensive coordinator Chad Morris, with quarterbacks coach Tajh Boyd serving as his secondary. Clemson offered Hawkins a little over a month ago on June 21.
What is important to understand here is Dabo Swinney is putting his full trust and faith into Morris and Boyd in their evaluation of Hawkins. Swinney is the ultimate CEO-type of head coach, so he needs to lean on the guy's future coordinator and position coach. Then again, why would he not? Swinney has always been able to trust Morris and Boyd to come through for him. This is not anything new for them.
With Seth Williams announcing his decision Friday evening, it could be a nice weekend for Clemson.
4-star QB Trace Hawkins becomes first Clemson commit in its 2028 class
While Clemson has already put in the work to make its 2027 class surprisingly good, Hawkins has become the first cornerstone upon which the Tigers' 2028 recruiting class will be based around. It was clear from the start that Swinney, Morris, and Boyd prioritized making a quarterback prospect its first recruit of the 2028 cycle. The fact he is just down the road in Calhoun makes this so much easier.
Even though three-star quarterback prospect Trey Wright was crystal balled to Clemson a few days before Hawkins was, keep in mind he hails from Frisco, Texas. Clemson likes to recruit players outside of South Carolina to play quarterback for them, but Hawkins has the higher upside and is very much in the Tigers' overall recruiting base in North Georgia, not far from where Trevor Lawrence was raised.
Thankfully, Swinney has finally gotten the monkey off his back by getting a player to commit to the Tigers as a part of Clemson's 2028 class. Over time, more and more prospects will choose to be a part of it. Whether Wright comes aboard as another quarterback commit remains to be seen. For the time being, Clemson looks to be taking full advantage of the late-summer window in its recruitment.
Where things stand now, do not be shocked to see Hawkins' recruiting status go up after committing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google