Florida safety Cedrick Hawkins commits to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State has added a big-time safety to its 2023 recruiting class: Cedrick Hawkins has committed to the Buckeyes.
The decision from Hawkins is a bit of surprise but a needed win for the Buckeyes as they look to reload in the secondary for 2023 and beyond. Hawkins told Chad Simmons from On3.com that his relationship with Tony Alford made the difference.
“I went up to Ohio State in the summer and loved everything,” Hawkins told On3. “Over the last two to three weeks, I have been thinking about this.
“I gave coach (Tony) Alford a call a couple of days ago and told him about my decision. Ohio State is where I want to go.”
Hawkins, a four-star safety ranked as the No. 16 player at his position in the Class of 2023, visited Columbus in June and left very impressed by the Buckeyes program. That’s when Ohio State offered, an offer he said was special.
“It’s game-changing,” Hawkins told Lettermen Row at the time. “I come from a small town that gets overlooked. The campus [at Ohio State] is great and I love the city.”
A 5-foot-11, 170-pound safety prospect from Cocoa (Titusville, Fla.) High School, Hawkins has offers from nearly 20 schools including Florida, Florida State, Arizona State, Cincinnati and others.
He committed to the Buckeyes on his Instagram account. He joins Ohio State tight end commitment Ty Lockwood and offensive lineman Josh Padilla as the third verbal in the Class of 2023.
Ohio State will be looking for a handful of defensive lineman and the decision from Hawkins is a boost in the state of Florida. The Buckeyes have a number of big-time targets in the state that they’re focused on.
The last Cocoa High School player to commit to Ohio State was Bruce Judson, a defensive back who committed to the Buckeyes on the night of the 2015 national title game against Oregon.
Lettermen Row will have more on the commitment of Cedrick Hawkins in the coming days.
