USC Football Recruiting: Chris Hawkins Decision Another USC-Stanford Battle

It’s never too early to look ahead to the 2013 recruiting class, and come Sunday, one school will be with awarded with a commitment from a 4-star corner out of Rancho Cucamonga, Chris Hawkins. According to multiple sources, including ESPN and the crew over at We Are SC, Hawkins will make his commitment known this weekend in LA, with two of his three finalist being USC and Stanford.

USC cornerback target Chris Hawkins (Rancho Cucamonga) plans to announce his college decision this Sunday at the LA Nike Camp

— WeAreSC.com (@wearescstaff) March 26, 2012

Hawkins was considered likely to suit up for Stanford in 2013, but a recent offer from USC may have changed things for the soon to be high school senior. Hawkins, who checks in 6-foot, 172 lbs., was set to make a decision last week before the offer, but with the Trojans officially in the race now, it appears as though USC and Stanford will continue to be finalists for the state’s top recruits. We saw it in February with Kyle Murphy and Aziz Shittu, as both chose Stanford over USC, and even with out of state players, as Tempe’s Andrus Peat signed on to play in Palo Alto, spurning both USC and Nebraska.

The third finalist in Hawkins’s list is Washington, where Tosh Lupoi and Steve Sarkisian look to add another defensive back to play alongside the studs they already have, like Sean Parker and the incoming phenom Shaq Thompson.

What can Hawkins bring to the college game? Quite simply, size, speed and some pretty well-rounded instincts. In watching his highlight reel from his junior senior, Hawkins has significant presence in the secondary, which is a crucial need for teams in the Pac-12, with the plethora of athletic and lanky receivers within the conference. He’s a cover-first defender, but a solid tackler, as seen at the 1:15 mark of the embedded video below.

Hawkins is No. 142 in the FanSided 150, at FanSided150.com, and the ninth best corner in his class nationally, according to Rivals. Check out his highlights below, but beware of some pretty awful computer generated beats in the soundtrack.