Cedrick Hawkins Jr. holds the FS · Backup spot in South Florida Bulls’s safety room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Cedrick Hawkins Jr. is a 6'0", 192-pound free safety from Titusville, Florida, who attended Cocoa High School as a four-star recruit. He initially signed with Ohio State and redshirted during the 2023 season without seeing game action. Hawkins transferred to UCF for the 2024 campaign but did not appear in games. He joined South Florida in the summer of 2025. In his first season with the Bulls, Hawkins appeared in all 13 games, recording 13 total tackles, nine solo tackles, one pass deflection, and one fumble recovery. He posted tackles in seven contests and recorded a season-high five tackles against UTSA on November 6.

Ohio State2023

UCF2024

South Florida2025 — present