PA athlete has great bloodlines

Cornerback/wide receiver Andrew Hawkins has a leader and is looking at several other schools. His family has enjoyed tremendous athletic success, so Hawkins is a good bet to succeed.

Hawkins is only 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, but he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds and has good agility. He comes from a family that has experienced quite a bit of success on the field. His father is Artrell Hawkins Sr., and was a running back for the Steelers and his brother, Artrell Hawkins Jr., is a starting cornerback for the Bengals. One cousin, Geroy Simon, was a wide receiver for the Buccaneers and another cousin, Carlton Haselrig, was a Pro-Bowl guard for the Steelers.

Who leads for Hawkins?

"Cincinnati is probably my leader right now," he said. "They're showing the most interest in me. I would love to play for them. I know the school really well and the campus is great. My brother Artrell went to the school so I've been around the program since about second grade. I camped there this summer and thought I did a pretty good job. The coach told me he thought I was the best defensive back there. I also went some at receiver, because they're recruiting me to play in the slot."

While Cincinnati is in a good position with Hawkins, some other programs are still high on his list.

"Pittsburgh is high on my list as well," he said. "My father played with them in the 70's when Dan Marino was there. I would love to play there. Anthony Morelli and Andrew Johnson have committed there so they have a bright future. I also grew up a big Penn State fan. My friend, Jim Kanuch, plays there and I'm also friends with Greg Harrison. They're both really excited about the future of the program.

"Boston College is a great school but I don't have too much information on them. I hit it off well with one of their coaches a while back. I like Virginia Tech too, although they haven't shown too much interest yet. Maryland has sent a lot of letters and contacted my school. My cousin Geroy was a big-time receiver for them in the late 90's so I know a lot about them. He's told me he thinks I should commit there if I get an offer."

As a junior at Johnstown (Pa.) Bishop McCort, Hawkins had 15 carries for 167 yards and caught 17 passes for 357 yards and a score. On defense he had 59 tackles, eight interceptions and nine pass breakups.