TEMPE -- Chris Hawkins - who most recently worked as a graduate assistant at Southern California - will join the Sun Devil Football program as defensive backs coach, head coach Herm Edwards announced today.
"I am very excited to announce to appointment of Chris Hawkins as defensive backs coach at ASU. Chris impressed myself, Tony White, Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis as a young, up-and-coming coach who has a very bright future in our profession," Edwards said. "Chris played the position at an elite level at USC and the young players in our secondary will benefit from his knowledge and experience. Chris will be instrumental in recruiting Southern California for us as well."
Hawkins was a graduate assistant at USC this past season, working directly with the defensive backs.
Among the highlights of the Trojan secondary in 2019 was Pac-12 second-team defensive back Talanoa Hufanga, who finished the season with 90 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The sophomore was 28th nationally in averaging 9.0 tackles per game. Fellow defensive back Isaiah Pola-Mao led the Pac-12 conference with four interceptions this season.
Sophomore defensive back Olaijah Griffin was especially efficient for the Trojans this season, earning Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors while ranking third among Pac-12 corners in defensive success percentage (60.3) by Pro Football Focus – a measure of a team's defensive success rate when the defender is targeted in coverage. Opponents earned a first down or touchdown just 24.1 percent of the time when targeting Griffin, the fourth-lowest total in the Pac-12.
When targeted, opponents recorded just a 67.7 NFL quarterback rating against Griffin – the fourth-lowest total in the Pac-12. Griffin allowed just 54 yards after the catch on the season and record five pass breakups. Opponents completed just 42.6 percent of their targets against Griffin – the fourth lowest total in the league.
The USC secondary was fourth in the Pac-12 in passing yards allowed this season while also finishing fourth in the league in passes defended.
Hawkins spent 2018 working in commercial real estate. Prior to that, he lettered in four seasons (2014-17) as part of USC's secondary, the first year as a cornerback and the final three at safety. He had 234 tackles, four interceptions and six deflections in his career while starting 36 games.
Hawkins was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2016 and 2017. As a 2017 senior, he captained the 2017 Trojans and won the team's Trojan Way Leadership Award, notching 88 tackles on the season. He was on USC teams that played in the 2014 and 2015 Holiday Bowls, 2017 Rose Bowl and 2018 Cotton Bowl. He redshirted in 2013.
He was USC's 2017 representative on the Pac-12's Student-Athlete Leadership Team and also was one of two student-athletes to represent the Pac-12 at the 2017 NCAA Legislation meeting in Chicago.
He received his bachelor's degree in policy, planning and development from USC in 2017 and was pursuing his master's degree in communication management from USC.
Hawkins, 24, was in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018. He was a prep All-American as a 2012 senior at Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High.
"I am very excited to announce to appointment of Chris Hawkins as defensive backs coach at ASU. Chris impressed myself, Tony White, Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis as a young, up-and-coming coach who has a very bright future in our profession," Edwards said. "Chris played the position at an elite level at USC and the young players in our secondary will benefit from his knowledge and experience. Chris will be instrumental in recruiting Southern California for us as well."
Hawkins was a graduate assistant at USC this past season, working directly with the defensive backs.
Among the highlights of the Trojan secondary in 2019 was Pac-12 second-team defensive back Talanoa Hufanga, who finished the season with 90 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The sophomore was 28th nationally in averaging 9.0 tackles per game. Fellow defensive back Isaiah Pola-Mao led the Pac-12 conference with four interceptions this season.
Sophomore defensive back Olaijah Griffin was especially efficient for the Trojans this season, earning Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors while ranking third among Pac-12 corners in defensive success percentage (60.3) by Pro Football Focus – a measure of a team's defensive success rate when the defender is targeted in coverage. Opponents earned a first down or touchdown just 24.1 percent of the time when targeting Griffin, the fourth-lowest total in the Pac-12.
When targeted, opponents recorded just a 67.7 NFL quarterback rating against Griffin – the fourth-lowest total in the Pac-12. Griffin allowed just 54 yards after the catch on the season and record five pass breakups. Opponents completed just 42.6 percent of their targets against Griffin – the fourth lowest total in the league.
The USC secondary was fourth in the Pac-12 in passing yards allowed this season while also finishing fourth in the league in passes defended.
Hawkins spent 2018 working in commercial real estate. Prior to that, he lettered in four seasons (2014-17) as part of USC's secondary, the first year as a cornerback and the final three at safety. He had 234 tackles, four interceptions and six deflections in his career while starting 36 games.
Hawkins was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2016 and 2017. As a 2017 senior, he captained the 2017 Trojans and won the team's Trojan Way Leadership Award, notching 88 tackles on the season. He was on USC teams that played in the 2014 and 2015 Holiday Bowls, 2017 Rose Bowl and 2018 Cotton Bowl. He redshirted in 2013.
He was USC's 2017 representative on the Pac-12's Student-Athlete Leadership Team and also was one of two student-athletes to represent the Pac-12 at the 2017 NCAA Legislation meeting in Chicago.
He received his bachelor's degree in policy, planning and development from USC in 2017 and was pursuing his master's degree in communication management from USC.
Hawkins, 24, was in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018. He was a prep All-American as a 2012 senior at Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High.