Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #23 S Cedrick Hawkins
Can I interest you in a former Ohio State Buckeye?
PLAYER: Cedrick Hawkins
POSITION: Safety
YEAR: Redshirt sophomore
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'0”, 189 lbs.
HOW DID HE GET HERE? A standout safety and four-star recruit from Cocoa High School, Hawkins originally committed to Ohio State over a number of impressive offers, including Florida and Auburn, the latter of which he also visited. Stuck behind a secondary full of blue-chippers, Hawkins didn’t see any action as a freshman and entered the transfer portal in the spring of 2024.
He didn’t spend long in the portal and committed to UCF pretty quickly, though he also saw limited playing time there. He ended the portal again in the spring, and this time ended up on the other side of I-4 when he committed to USF in May.
HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? Hawkins played a bit of deep safety late in the Knights’ season-opening win over New Hampshire. Other than that, he didn’t see any action.
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? It’s always great to bring a former blue-chipper to Tampa, and it’s even better when said former blue-chipper also happens to be a former UCF player. That said, I think it’s best to temper expectations early on for Hawkins. He’s still yet to see significant playing time, and while I think he’s a promising addition, I would group him in with the incoming freshmen and underclassmen at this point rather than the players contending for a major role in the secondary.