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<DIV =ecxphoto-caption>Jared Hawkins</a>Last year against Tennessee, he stretched out the ligaments in the top of his foot in the Louis Frank joint. He fought through the pain of the injury to help Vanderbilt win its first bowl game since 1955.
He had to play in that game; he deserved to play; his five touchdowns and team-high 593 rushing yards were a big reason why Vanderbilt played in the Music City Bowl.
After the season, he had surgery and had a screw placed in the top of his foot to try to immobilize the joint and allow the ligaments to heal. Doctors took the screw out in May and told him that the injury would need eight to 12 months to fully heal. He didn't have that amount of time; he only had four months and he wanted to be back for his senior season to help his team get back to another bowl game.
Jared Hawkins came back to practice in August. The foot felt fine. He thought he was about to embark on another tough but fun SEC football season. It would be his last, and like any athlete, he wanted his final season to be a memorable one.
Unfortunately, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
During preseason camp in August, Hawkins made a cut during practice and re-injured the ligaments. He rehabbed the foot and was given medicine to alleviate the pain, but he still was not able to play until Vanderbilt's game against Rice, which was a homecoming for the running back from Spring, TX, a suburb of Houston. In that game, Hawkins rushed for 66 yards on 11 carries.
Captain, friend and fellow redshirt senior Bradley Vierling can attest to the struggles that Hawkins has faced this season.
"(Jared's) the kind of guy who does everything, anything he can for this team. He's gotten shot up, he's taken meds, he's rehabbed,"Â Vierling said. "He got to play in his home state when we beat Rice. He's been battling. You feel for a guy like that. Best thing about Jared is he hasn't been a ghost. He's been a voice on the team which is a big help for us."Â
As the season has progressed, Hawkin's injury has continued to give him trouble, as the medicine has been less and less successful. He would be forced to sit out two weeks before returning one last time against South Carolina on Oct. 24.
"It's been really frustrating because it seems like some weeks he was feeling pretty good"Â said Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. "The stuff we were doing medically for him was working. He actually had a couple good games, and it looked like he was going to come out of it and really help our offense, and he would have been a big help for our offense this year. It's not only frustrating to him but it's frustrating for the coaches."Â
Jared Hawkins' career as a Commodore is over. He is highly doubtful to play against Kentucky or Tennessee, but for those of you who only see the incredible duo of Zac Stacy and Warren Norman running around on game day, know that Hawkins is a large reason for their success as freshmen.
"I go to all the meetings,"Â Hawkins said, "and I try to make sure I know the game plan for each week, and if I see (the freshmen) forget to do something or miss a line, then I just make sure that (Coach) Kitchings corrects it, or I just follow up and let them know where they're supposed to be at or what guy they have on a certain pass protection, and all those type of things."Â
Hawkins will be missed because he is the type of student-athlete that only comes along every once in a while. He put his health on the line for our school and our football program, but that is the type of guy Hawkins is.
He and the other seniors have set the groundwork for Vanderbilt to turn the corner from perennial doormat to yearly competitors in the SEC East. While this season has largely been one to forget, recruiting continues to improve thanks to this senior class, and hopefully, it is a matter of time until these players' hard work pays off.
As for Hawkins, the season has not gone as he envisioned back in August, but he is in good spirits and is preparing for life after football.
"I'm probably going to work project controls for an engineering company,"Â Hawkins said.
