2011 Countdown: #62 Brandin Hawthorne

Brandin Hawthorne

Name: Brandin Hawthorne
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 203 lbs.
High school: Pahokee High School in Pahokee, FL
Position: Safety/linebacker
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: I ranked Hawthorne #52 and said he would be a special teamer who might make a tackle or two.  He was a special teamer and made 1 tackle.

Hawthorne was a high school safety and bounced around his first couple years at Michigan, playing free safety and Spur, which is like a strongside linebacker.  So far he has two seasons of special teams action under his belt . . . and that's about it.  He seemed to be one of those tweeners that Rich Rodriguez liked to recruit so much, the kind that don't really have a position now that some coaches with an actual defensive blueprint have arrived.

This spring Hawthorne saw playing time at both safety and weakside linebacker, and I will admit that he looked better in the spring than he has in the past couple years.  However, he seemed to get most of his action at WILL, and I just don't see him getting to sniff playing time at the position.  Not only will he be fighting some current players for the position (Marell Evans, Mike Jones, maybe Jake Ryan), but the Wolverines have a couple freshmen arriving on campus to make a push for playing time (Antonio Poole, Kellen Jones).  At only 6'0" and 203 lbs., he seems to be a career special teamer.

Prediction: Special teams contributor