Florida Gators' new weapon gives Percy Harvin vibes

When it comes to true freshmen playing for the Florida Gators this year, all eyes are on quarterback DJ Lagway. However, wide receiver and return specialist Tank Hawkins should open some eyes. The Wheeling, W.Va., product honed his skills at IMG Academy in Bradenon and exudes a DeSean Jackson-like aura with his particular set of skills.

Florida fans will be fascinated by what they see.

By strengthening the passing game and potentially seeing the field, in multi-receiver sets, Hawkins injects a sense of suddenness into the game plan. Now what will he bring to The Swamp?

Revolutionary speed

Certainly, speed and Florida football go together like peanut butter and jelly. However, you throw out the adjective exciting speed in the previous sentence. To express Hawkins' level of speed, look at his numbers in the 60-yard range. No race measures a pure explosion like that of the sixty. Tyreek Hill ran the sixty meters in 6.70 seconds, winning a USATF event last March.

Likewise, Hawkins released the exact time in the winter of 2023. Now, no one is claiming that Hawkins will mirror Hill's career. However, the type of speed within sixty meters is comparable. Imagine that Hawkins' route tree includes everything from every screen variation to the usual route. Likewise, the crossing pattern from the slot forces defenses to keep pace.

Florida had an earlier version of Hill in Gators legend Percy Harvin. Can they replicate it in Hawkins?

Return capacity

By Game 1, Hawkins will likely complete the primary returner role. Fielding both punts and kickoffs, Hawkins displays the disparate skills needed to succeed in both. When returning punts, he will have to make the first defender miss on his own.

This requires significant agility and timing. Meanwhile, kick returns force him to immediately reach full speed, flying across the territory and down the field. Florida, like every other football team, cherishes its position on the field.

If Hawkins can turn the field around. In these circumstances, the offense starts from a better position, shortening the field and increasing the chances of scoring points. Speaking of which, barring injury, assuming Hawkins nails a return for six doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.

An evolving sense of the road

Hawkins at five-foot-nine and 170 won't play as a cornerback on a jump ball. However, what he should do is explode into trash and run away from almost everyone in college football. As a result, he will need to improve the accuracy of his route tree.

That is, erasing the habits created when athleticism overshadows everyone else on the field. From now on, he will work on aesthetically boring routes. However, these roads have the potential to access the open field.

Additionally, defenders can't drop back and allow Hawkins to pile up plays underneath. Instead, by continuing to improve his route running, defenses will have to eliminate the presumably large cushion afforded to him. Hawkins' speed allows him to see the field. Working diligently to improve this vital area will increase his playing time and touches.

Preview

Tank Hawkins will never be able to outplay a corner or win with pure strength. However, he plays knowing that every time he touches the ball, a touchdown seems possible. Florida will slowly work him into the plan, before seeing him on offense.

Now, how and when Hawkins earns playing time depends on his improvement and the work done in practice. When coaches see enough improvement on the routes, Hawkins will present an immediate matchup problem for defensive coordinators. Still a freshman, Tank Hawkins can affect games. The question is not if, but when.