Clemson is officially on the board in the 2028 recruiting cycle.
The Tigers picked up their first commitment in the class on Thursday when four-star quarterback Trace Hawkins announced he will continue his career at Clemson. The Calhoun, Georgia native selected the Tigers over a group of finalists that included LSU, Duke, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt after building a strong relationship with the coaching staff throughout the recruiting process.
Landing Hawkins gives Clemson an early foundation for the class, with the talented passer becoming the first player to publicly pledge to the Tigers for 2028. Quarterback has been a priority position for the staff, and Hawkins emerged as one of the top prospects on Clemson’s board after several visits to campus
over the last year.
His first trip came during the 2024 season, and he made multiple return visits this spring. Hawkins attended Clemson’s spring game, participated in the program’s Elite Day event and later returned for Dabo Swinney’s high school camp in June. Those visits allowed the coaching staff to evaluate him in person while giving Hawkins plenty of opportunities to become comfortable with the program.
The 6-foot-1 signal caller is coming off an outstanding sophomore campaign at Calhoun High School. He completed the season with 2,442 passing yards and 24 touchdown throws while being intercepted only three times. Hawkins also made an impact on the ground, adding three rushing touchdowns.
Will Clemson football play on The CW as part of fall lineup this year?
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Recruiting services view Hawkins as one of the better quarterbacks in the 2028 class. 247Sports lists him among the nation’s top quarterback prospects and one of Georgia’s top overall players, while Rivals also places him inside its national rankings.
With Hawkins now in the fold, Clemson has its first building block for the 2028 class and can begin adding more talent around its future quarterback.
The moment trace Hawkins commits to Clemson pic.twitter.com/E8XemleJNl
— ClemsonSportsNews (@ClemSportNews) July 30, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football lands commitment from elite four-star 2028 quarterback
