Sports

Four-star 2028 QB includes Clemson in top six schools

Clemson Tigers On SI · Jul 22, 2026 16:17 · 3 min read

Four-Star 2028 QB Includes Clemson in Top Six Schools — Four-star QB Trace Hawkins has released his top six schools, including Clemson alongside LSU, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Duke. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A four-star 2028 QB has narrowed his list to six schools, including Clemson, as he weighs depth chart odds and coaching bonds before committing this fall.

With over 20+ offers sent out to the 2028 class, multiple Clemson targets have already started trimming their lists of schools, including one of the program’s priority quarterback recruits.

On Tuesday afternoon, Calhoun (Ga.) signal caller Trace Hawkins announced his top six schools via X (Formerly Twitter), including Clemson alongside LSU, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Duke.

He is one of the two quarterback offers sent out by the Tigers so far, with the other being three-star dual-threat Trey Wright.

Hawkins is rated a four-star prospect and ranks as the No. 294 overall player, the No. 20 player at his position and the No. 47 recruit in the state of Georgia, according to the 247Sports Composite.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior first broke out as a freshman for the Yellow Jackets during the 2024-25 season.

In his first year as a starter, Hawkins completed 68% of his passes for 2,079 yards, 23 touchdowns and just one interception. Additionally, he carried the ball 77 times for 352 rushing yards and five touchdowns. To add the cherry on top, he also led the program to a GHSA 3A State Championship win over Jefferson, the same school Clemson commit Max Brown attends.

Following season’s end, he earned his first seven offers, those being from: Duke, Georgia Tech, Gardner-Webb, Auburn, Florida, Indiana and Georgia State. He took only two unofficial visits during the spring and summer, with the first to Gainesville in April and the other to Tigertown for the annual Dabo Swinney Football Camp.

As a sophomore this past season, Hawkins put up career passing numbers of 2,442 yards, 24 touchdowns and three interceptions while also running the ball 31 times for 153 yards and three scores. The Yellow Jackets entered the playoffs as a six-seed but were upset by Douglass High School, losing in a shutout, 12-0.

Since the New Year began, Hawkins has added 10 more offers to his name, including SMU, Tulsa, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Memphis and his respective top six schools (aside from Duke).

He also started taking more visits over the past year, taking trips to Duke, Auburn and Clemson throughout the season before returning to Death Valley twice and to Durham, North Carolina, once in the spring. He also camped in Baton Rouge earlier this summer.

Hawkins plans to commit somewhere around the beginning of his junior season — specifically September or October — and one of the separation factors for the four-star talent is where he’ll sit on the depth chart.

“Some schools say you could be fifth or sixth, and some say you might be their guy,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons. “You really need to talk to the coaches and see where they see you in their offense.”

Regarding what separates Clemson from the rest of the pack, he mentioned the tradition and/or culture the program brings, as well as his close relationship with quarterbacks coach Tajh Boyd, who still stands as the ACC all-time touchdown leader from his time with the Tigers.

Heading into his junior year, Hawkins plans on visiting for Clemson’s season opener against LSU in Baton Rouge, as well as multiple other contests from his top programs, before cutting his list further.