Making his own destiny

Son of CU head coach is working overtime for a shot at starting QB

B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 10, 2007 at midnight

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BOULDER - As he watched Chris Leak thrive in the moment, Cody Hawkins was living in the future, dreaming he might duplicate what Leak was doing to Ohio State in the 2007 Bowl Championship Series national title game.

Leak, Florida's senior quarterback, mercilessly was picking and pecking at the Buckeyes defense, masterfully directing what his coach, Urban Meyer, later would call a passing game fashioned around "dinks and dunks."

To be sure, Hawkins enjoyed the strategy that quickly transformed the game into an unexpected runaway (Florida won 41-14). But even more pleasing were Leak's numbers - not these: 25-for-36 for 213 yards and a touchdown, but these: 6-feet, 207 pounds.

Said Hawkins: "Chris Leak is my favorite player ever. . . . He's the exact same size I am."

On a couple of fronts, that might be a stretch. When the University of Colorado begins spring football practice Monday, Hawkins probably will be listed as a shade under 6 feet and a couple of burritos short of 200.

Also, talk to him long enough about football and quarterbacks, and Leak takes his place among a couple of other of Hawkins' "faves" at his position. There are the Saints' Drew Brees and former Texas quarterback Major Applewhite, now the offensive coordinator/QB coach at Alabama and, according to Hawkins, "one of the two sharpest offensive minds in the country." (More on the other sharpie later.)

Brees and Applewhite compare physically with Leak, which is to say neither qualifies as statuesque. Still, each excelled at high levels, and Hawkins takes heart in that.

It's not that size matters so very much to Hawkins, a redshirt freshman who will compete with senior Bernard Jackson and junior-college transfer Nick Nelson for CU's starting quarterback job.

But he is asked about his physical dimensions almost as much as he is asked about his parentage, specifically, how it might be to play for his father, Dan, the Buffaloes' second-year head coach.

His father's son

Will he ever not be asked about being the coach's kid?

"Maybe," the coach's kid answered. "But I might be getting the senior citizen discount at Water World by then. . . . It's all right; I haven't really done anything here to prove myself. But once you kind of step out of the box and start making things happen . . ."

He is out of the sentence as sharply as he hopes CU's receivers can get into their pass routes, but the implication is clear. Cody Hawkins believes it's his time to "step out of the box," and whatever the depth chart says about his height when he takes his first college snap, most who have seen him play don't doubt he will succeed.

Tim Brennan, the former head coach at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, is among those who believes Hawkins will measure up nicely in Division I, although Brennan admits, "It's a little different issue than it was in high school.

"Sure, if you have a 6-5 player with (Hawkins') knowledge, competitiveness and leadership ability, that guy's going to have an advantage. But rarely are you going to find all of that, plus athletic ability, in a 6-5 package."

Brennan saw "several things (Hawkins) did real well, but at the top of the list were his leadership ability, his quiet competitiveness, his toughness. He is the kind of player who would do anything necessary to be successful."

Brennan, now the head coach at West Miflin High School in Pittsburgh, recalled a 2005 Idaho state semifinal playoff game against Sand Point in which Bishop Kelly trailed 20-14 in the final 2 minutes.

"We're 400 miles away from home, playing in the mud, rain and snow," Brennan said. "We'd won 23 in a row and were the state champs the year before. You would think under those circumstances, in a game that tight, there might be a little panic from your quarterback.

"No such thing; I looked at Cody and he was like, 'No big deal, it's how football is supposed to be, it's why you play the game.' He took us down the field, we scored and won 21-20."

The next week, Hawkins and Bishop Kelly beat Pocatello 31-29 for their second consecutive state title. But the Big 12 Conference is, well, a cut or two above the Idaho 4A playoffs, and as the two-time 4A player of the year acknowledges, his Division I résumé is blank.

A leader

But as Hawkins has shown this offseason, coordinating the Buffs' seven- on-seven passing drills (NCAA rules don't permit coaches to do it), he has a proclivity for taking charge.

"I like it," he said. "I like to be looked at as a leader and run things on the field. I kind of like it when things are in my hands, but that's exactly how you want your quarterback to be.

"The more comfortable you get with this system, the more used you are to the guys around you, you really can be more of an assertive figure on the field and be a dominant figure people can look to."

Hawkins won't celebrate his 19th birthday until March 24, but he never has let age diminish his take-charge characteristics. He and most of CU's 2006 signees were early arrivals on campus last summer, allowing them to "start blending in, making older friends."

Upperclassman teammates, he said, "are not necessarily looking at how old you are; it's a lot more about your maturity and productivity. The guys don't really care what your age is."

Nor do they care who your father is.

"It's funny how the coach's kid line gets played up a lot," he said. "I think I've done enough that guys feel comfortable around me. . . .

"When we're on the field, my dad's not coaching me on my drops. The head coach just runs around and pumps everybody up and deals with the media. . . . I've built a pretty good relationship with all the guys on the team. They all know I'm here to play football, not to screw around just because my dad's the coach. I'm here to play football and win."

His father contends a coach/player relationship will be "no big deal. I've always tried to coach all kids like they were my own. I'll put an arm around him just like I would them, and I won't try to ignore him or give him undue attention. . . . It's not as much an issue as people might think."

It's no issue for Cody's teammates, said junior defensive tackle George Hypolite, who said CU's coach "treats me the same as he does (Cody). 'Hawk' is that kind of guy . . . a stand- up guy, does what's right."

During offseason conditioning work, Hypolite said the younger Hawkins learned "when to say something and not say something. But the thing you notice right away is, he's very positive and upbeat, he's enthusiastic about being alive, and that's a great quality to have. His personality might have grown during the offseason."

For both of the Hawkinses, naming a starting quarterback either this spring or in August won't create the angst many outsiders foresee. Among the Buffs, Hypolite said there is no "coach's kid" stigma Cody must overcome: "We accept the guys who make the plays. If (Cody) turns out to be the guy, we accept him. It's not in 'Hawk's' personality to play favorites."

Of course, Dan will have a vote in naming CU's starter, as will offensive coordinator/QB coach Mark Helfrich - Cody's co-choice with Applewhite as America's top offensive minds.

"I'm not the only guy who says if he plays," CU's head coach said. "But with his redshirt off, he now has to declare himself as a player. He knows that, my staff knows that. And I don't have any bobblehead guys around me; whatever (Cody) gets, he earns."

Difficult decision

It was that way in Idaho. Brennan said Boise State's head coach never interfered with decisions made at Bishop Kelly: "Dan is a parent that supports his sons. He was there as a resource if we needed him, but he never once called and suggested anything."

Cody's most anxious time in high school came on national signing day in 2006. He committed to Boise State while his father coached there but signed with CU after the Big 12 school hired his father.

The decision was so gut-wrenching, so agonizing, it became the topic of a recent freshman English paper. Assigned to write about "the No. 1 life-changing event we've had, the first thing that came to my mind was signing day," Cody said. "It was really tough."

His family helped him through it, and for a quarterback, there are obvious benefits to growing up in a family where football never is on the back burner.

The primary family sport never was far removed from dinner table conversation. But with Cody living on campus his freshman year at CU, the Hawkins family isn't together for evening meals as much as they were in Boise.

"When I do come home now, it's kind of like a cooperative, with feedback going both ways," Cody said. "In high school, I was looking up there with starry eyes wondering what the heck is going on in the great world of college football. . . . Now, we talk about things in a different sense than what I'm used to."

As for the head coach answering his oldest son's questions, it might be a good thing that Cody isn't at dinner as frequently now. Both father and son contend Cody's grasp of offensive concepts has progressed to the point that when some inquiries are made, "I'll refer him to Helfrich," Dan Hawkins said. "Cody's always understood (offensive concepts), because he's just been around it for so long. He definitely has a tremendous working knowledge of it."

Added Helfrich: "From our limited (offseason) standpoint, Cody's done everything we expect. Just his background alone, it's something we need."

Poise that belies his years also could be of benefit to the Buffs. Hypolite calls Cody "very poised for a young guy . . . he's a coach's son; he understands the game and he calms guys down. That might be one of his greatest attributes on the field."

Along with adding about 15 pounds and increasing his strength, Cody's offseason emphasis has been on studying tape of offenses similar to what Helfrich has installed at CU.

The younger Hawkins also has watched all of CU's 2006 games at least once, obtaining more of a feel for what was done right or wrong than he did during his redshirt season.

Fans who clamored for Hawkins' redshirt to come off last fall almost got their wish before the Buffs played Texas Tech on Oct. 14. After a triple-overtime homecoming loss (34-31) to Baylor dropped CU to 0-6, a nearly desperate offensive staff caucused with Cody but decided not to use him.

"Everybody was pointing fingers at 'B-Jack,' but last year really was his first playing quarterback," Cody said. "Anything that would go wrong, fingers automatically pointed at him.

"People think you have some tiny solution kit on the sidelines. I wouldn't have fixed everything. Could I have done some things? I wish I would have gotten a shot, but when you think about the grand scheme of things, B-Jack was just a little more physically and mentally suited to play in college at that time."

And as it turned out, Jackson enjoyed his most productive game against Texas Tech, passing for two touchdowns and running for a third as CU won (30-6) its first 2006 game.

Working on his game

With spring drills looming, Cody Hawkins' primary goal is to "be the best I can be, and there are so many different directions you can go with that. I want to be a leader on this team, I want to work hard and prepare this team to take on the 2007 season."

Mechanically, he wants to be sharper dropping back, find throwing lanes more quickly and efficiently, while maintaining his quick release. Mentally, well, he's simply ready to apply knowledge gleaned perhaps from his genes, his background and his redshirt season.

"I can't think of anything that sticks in my mind that I don't know," he said. "The biggest thing that made this offense run at Arizona State and Boise State was the ability to change things at the line, being able to communicate with the line and receivers.

"We didn't really get into a whole lot of that last year. Going into this year, we'll have a lot more packages, a lot of different concepts and a lot more game plan stuff."

The Buffs will practice two weeks, observe spring break, then return for two more weeks of work before the annual spring game. During spring break, both Hawkinses will go to Florida - but it won't be for time at the beach.

At a Nike coaches getaway in Mexico, Meyer invited Dan Hawkins to Gainesville, Fla., to watch a portion of the national champions' spring practice. Also, Cody will visit with probable Florida starter Tim Tebow, a fellow participant at an Elite 11 quarterback camp two summers ago who shared playing time with Leak last season and in the BCS title game.

"I just want to spend some time with (Te- bow) and bring some of that national championship flavor back to Boulder," Cody Hawkins said. "The people here better get used to it."

Coachspeak on the QB position

• Head coach Dan Hawkins: " 'B-Jack' has more confidence, Nick has taken snaps - just not at this level. Cody has asserted himself in terms of work ethic. I don't know who our guy is going to be, but we'll be a lot better."

• Offensive coordinator/QB coach Mark Helfrich: "We need to have competition, and I think we'll get it. Nick has played in real competition, B-Jack has his experience and Cody has good credentials. We have to play better at that position . . . so many things contributed to our inefficiency last season, but we know we have to play better there."

Who's No. 1?

The University of Colorado's quarterback competition will be wide open this spring. A thumbnail look at the competitors:

• Bernard Jackson

Class: Senior.

Height: 6-0.

Weight: 200.

• Experience: After a career of position changes, he started 11 games at QB in 2006 season. . . . Completed 49.3 percent of his passes (108-for-219) for 1,298 yards and seven touchdowns, with seven interceptions. . . . Ran for 677 yards, including CU's longest scoring run from scrimmage (62 yards). . . . Was named offensive captain before offseason conditioning work began.

• Upside: Athleticism, scrambling ability and speed getting to the perimeter keeps defenses wary. . . . Strongest arm among the three candidates.

• Downside: Still must get better with presnap decisions and getting the most out of the offense.

• Cody Hawkins

Class: Redshirt freshman.

Height: 5-11 1/2.

Weight: 195.

• Experience: Spent much of last fall getting repetitions with the No. 2 offense after starter/ backup James Cox suffered a season-ending hand injury. . . . Was instrumental in organizing players for voluntary seven-on-seven passing work during the offseason.

• Upside: Strong in leadership area. . . . Very good at recognizing defenses. . . . Heady play, playmaking ability, quick release compensates for lack of height. "His quick release and presnap decisions - that's where he's got to make his money," position coach Mark Helfrich said.

• Downside: Lack of height. . . . No game experience. . . . Average arm strength.

• Nick Nelson

Class: Junior.

Height: 6-1.

Weight: 215.

• Experience: Started two seasons at Saddleback (Calif.) College. . . . Completed 62.5 percent of his passes (157-for- 251) for 2,241 yards. . . . Named Gauchos offensive player of the year in 2006 and first-team All-Mission Conference.

• Upside: Leadership ability has made a positive impression on teammates during offseason. . . . Said to be strong in reading defenses and making presnap decisions. . . . Arm strength not comparable with Jackson's, but better than Hawkins'.

• Downside: Release is not as quick as Hawkins', which tends to equalize their mechanical abilities.

B.G. Brooks

CU spring facts

• What: Fifteen spring football workouts over 29 days (not including spring break).

• When: Practices begin Monday and continue Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Next week's schedule: Monday, March 19; Tuesday, March 20; Thursday, March 22. After spring break (March 24-April 1), drills will be conducted April 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14 (spring game).

• Where: Lower CU practice fields, spring game in Folsom Field. Weekday practices usually begin at 3:30 p.m.; weekend times vary.

• Starters returning: 16 (nine offense, seven defense).

• Injury report: Limited participation - OL Erick Faatagi (knee), WR Chase McBride (shoulder). TE Devin Shanahan (knee).

• January enrollees: QB Nick Nelson, DE Drew Hudgins, OLB Josh Hartigan, DB Jonathan Hawkins.

• Coaching change: Offensive line coach/assistant head coach Jeff Grimes was hired from Brigham Young to replace Chris Strausser, who returned to Boise State.

• Captains: Offense - QB Bernard Jackson; defense - LB Jordon Dizon; special teams - LB R.J. Brown.

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466

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