BIO

In High School Josh Hawkins was named the Triad Sports Weekly Forsythe County Offensive Player-of-the-Year following standout senior year at Glenn High School ... Also tabbed the Piedmont Triad 4A Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year and a first-team running back in 2010 ... Rushed for a county-high 1,612 yards and contributed 20 touchdowns on 222 carries in final season ... Averaged 7.3 yards per attempt during final year at GHS ... Helped the Bobcats to a trio of victories and a spot in the 2010 North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs before suffering a 49-21 setback to Ragsdale in the opening round of the tournament ... Part of an offensive unit that topped the 40-point plateau three times in 12 games ... In a 26-18 victory over Parkland (and current Pirate teammate Chris Hairston) in October of 2010, rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries -- an average of 9.1 yards per attempt ... Later that month, broke loose for 222 yards in leading the Bobcats to a 50-35 upset of High Point Central, which was the state's seventh-ranked squad entering the contest ... Prior to the playoff defeat, prevented Ragsdale from clinching the Piedmont Triad 4A conference title with a four-touchdown performance as Glenn topped the state's No. 2 squad 36-15 ... Scored on TD runs of four, three, 83 and eight yards, and tallied 167 total rushing yards against the Tigers ... As a junior in 2009, rushed for 1,828 yards and 17 touchdowns while also serving as a starting safety ... Against North Davidson in 2009 season opener, scored all three touchdowns for GHS and sealed a 19-14 victory with an interception on the final drive ... Named to the Winston-Salem Journal's All-Northwest Team in 2009 and 2010 ... Selected to play in the East-West All-Star Game in Greensboro in July of 2011 ... Played for head coach Bobby Aldine Payne as a senior and Dick Cline previously…

In 2011 Hawkins Earned a position on ECU roster as a walk-on ... Was redshirted as a true freshman, but turned in notable contributions on the scout team according to coaches…

In 2012 Hawkins Played in 12 games and made three starts (USM, UNC, UTEP) at the boundary corner slot as a redshirt freshman ... Tallied 13 total stops (six solo) ... Eight of 13 tackles were on running plays ... Booked a season-high five hits (four assists) vs. the Miners ... In first collegiate start at Southern Miss in the C-USA opener, registered four tackles (two solo) with one TFL (-1 yard) ... One of eight defenders to pick off a pass ... Netted pass theft vs. Golden Eagles and added a two-yard return ... Recorded three pass breakups (USM, UTEP, UCF) ... Booked three tackles (two solo) at North Carolina ... Posted multiple stops on three occasions ... Recorded solo stop in a reserve role against Memphis…

In 2013 He Played in all 13 games and made four starts (Old Dominion, Florida Atlantic, Virginia Tech and Tulane) at the boundary corner position ... Collected 40 tackles (24 solo) ... Tied for fourth on the team with four pass breakups (1/ODU, 1/FAU, 1/TLN, 1/FIU) ... Third on the unit with 28 stops on pass plays ... Was one of 12 Pirates with an interception (FAU/26 yards) ... Booked at least one tackle in 10 games with a career-best 10 at Middle Tennessee ... Made multiple stops on seven occasions with five or more against ODU (8), FAU (6), VT (5) and MTSU (10) ... Teamed up with Derrell Johnson on a one-yard TFL against the Hokies ... Added another half TFL at MTSU, once again teaming with Johnson ... Averaged 5.5 stops per game in his first six outings (1.0 tpg in last seven contests) ... Member of a defensive unit that held six of 12 opponents to 100 or less rushing yards and limited six opponents to 17 or fewer points.

2014 is where Hawkins started to shine bright like the star he is. Starting 11 of 13 games in the Pirate secondary (field cornerback) ... Was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award ... Ranked seventh on team with 44 tackles (31 solo) ... Led all ECU defenders with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups -- standing 24th national in both categories ... Picked off two passes at Virginia Tech (11 return yards), one each vs. South Carolina, USF and Florida in the Birmingham Bowl ... Recorded at least one pass breakup in seven of 13 games (string of six-straight from South Carolina to Connecticut contests) ... Recorded at least one tackle in 12 of 13 outings with a season-high eight (seven solo) at No. 17 Virginia Tech ... Performance against Hokies earned player-of-the-week accolades from the American Athletic Conference, College Football Performance Awards, College Sports Madness, ECAC and Jim Thorpe ... Registered multiple stops in 10 games with four or more on six occasions ... Other notable performances include a six-stop effort vs. SMU and a pair of five-tackle outings vs. North Carolina and Tulsa ... Did not record any statistics against N.C. Central and Tulane ... Also recorded a three-yard tackle for lost yardage at Virginia Tech in the third quarter ... Added half TFL (-1 yard) vs. Connecticut ... Part of a defensive group that held seven of 13 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing (N.C. Central/70, Virginia Tech/91, SMU/51, USF/93, Connecticut/84, Temple/65, Tulane/24) and ranked 11th nationally in rush defense (111.8 ypg) ... Key member of ECU's defense that allowed just 32 fourth quarter points in American Athletic Conference action (outscoring opponents 109-32) ... Closed year with three stops, a forced fumble and a pick against Gators at Legion Field during bowl action ... Was a Phil Steele Magazine Midseason All-American Athletic Conference First-Team selection.