Louisville RB Javian Hawkins opts out of rest of season, will enter NFL draft

Javian Hawkins has played his final game for Louisville.

The star Cardinal running back announced Monday morning that he is opting out of the remainder of the 2020 football season, and making himself eligible for the 2021 NFL draft.

Hawkins played sparingly as a true freshman under Bobby Petrino in 2018, carrying the ball just twice during what would wind up being a redshirt season. He emerged as a surprise star for Scott Satterfield a year later, becoming Louisville’s first 1,000-yard running back in a decade. Hawkins finished the 2019 season with 1,525 rushing yards (the third most in a season for a running back in U of L history) and nine touchdowns on his way to picking up All-ACC honors.

One of the lone bright spots of Louisville’s otherwise dismal 2020 campaign, Hawkins has totaled 822 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in just seven games. He did not play in Saturday’s loss at Virginia, and now we know why.

Hawkins exits Louisville sitting at No. 10 on the school’s career rushing list with 2,355 yards. His career yards per carry average of 5.9 is the fifth-best in school history.

I wish it could have ended differently, but best of luck to Javian at the next level. It’s been a pleasure watching him these last couple of years.