field, that’s the impact Will had on the game. Despite being the focal point of every scouting re- port, he still managed to fly around the field with precision and determination. If he didn’t make the tackle, it was likely he played a role in why a team- mate made the stop. He called out assignments. He provided motivation for teammates. He was there to an- swer questions. He was every- thing a coach wants from an all-state player who had major colleges watching his every move. “(Instincts) are huge for line- backers, and that comes with reps,” Will said of his ascension into being one of the best in the state at his position. “Your eyes are telling you things and then your legs take you there.” Will finished the 2023 season with a team-best 63 total tack- les, including 10 tackles for loss and 4 1 ⁄ 2 sacks. And let’s not for- get about the 774 yards rush- ing, 320 yards receiving, and 11 total touchdowns — all team- highs — he accrued on offense. He was rightly named the Class 4A District 4 Defensive Player of the Year. And yet high major offers from colleges still eluded him. It was a head-scratcher. But rather than get angry, Will went back to work. He knew he
had the intelligence, instincts and passion to play at the next level, but getting recruiters to believe he had the speed and athleticism to make the leap took convincing. Fast forward to the spring, the 2024 track and field season, and any doubts were quickly erased. A winter working on his speed paid off when he broke 11 seconds in the 100-meter dash for the first time and ad- vanced to the 3A state finals in the sprint. The college offers flooded in. Army. Columbia. Dartmouth. Harvard. Princeton. Lehigh. And then the big boys came knocking. Iowa State. Nebraska. Kansas State. Kansas. Will Hawthorne, rated as the top linebacker in the state and the No. 5 prospect in Iowa re- gardless of position by 247 Sports, had arrived. “It’s been a long process, but it’s a process that got really quick at the end,” Will said. “I 100 percent knew that how I was going to run on the track correlated with how I was re- cruited, so I sprinted at least once a week all year around. Up and down the street, any- where I could. I really didn’t mess around, and I lived in the training room and was probably
a pain. Whatever was tweaked, I got it checked. I got my nu- trition right. I slept well. Be- cause I knew this was my opportunity.” ••• That brings us to the 2024 season, and with the recruiting circuit now in the rearview mir- ror, Will is able to give his com- plete focus to the Gilbert football team. He can just play, and he cannot wait. “We can be as good as we want to be,” Will said when asked about the next few months. “We have the schemes and we have the talent, it just comes down to how far we’re willing to physically push our- selves. Tigers’ head coach Graham Lundt thinks he has the best linebacker in the state suiting up for him and he’s excited to see what Will can accomplish this fall. “Is he the best linebacker in the state? If he’s not, I’d like to know who’s better,” Lundt said. “Will’s really good and he’s only going to be better this year.” By his side throughout the season will be his dad, a vol- unteer assistant coach who doubles as his son’s biggest fan. He takes on an excited tone as well when he talks about the potential, but he also speaks with appreciation. Every
THE NUMBERS Will Hawthorne’s Gilbert Career
Rushing
Season, Year
Att Yds YPC TD
snap. Every game. He simply wants to soak it all up. “I think it’s going to be a fun, exciting, electrifying season, and I hope the community comes out to watch,” he said. “We’re just blessed to be a part of a community that has sup- ported Will.” And it all gets started soon. Will’s final run as a Tiger. It should be the best one yet. Did he believe all of this — the accolades, the local eye- balls on him, the attention from a number of Power 5 programs — was possible? As he said, he’s always be- lieved in himself. And it will carry him far on his football journey. Freshman, 2021 2 6 3.0 0 Sophomore, 2022 113 439 3.9 5 Junior, 2023 131 774 5.9 7 CAREER 246 1,219 5.0 12 Receiving Season, Year Rec Yds YPC TD Freshman, 2021 11 120 10.9 0 Sophomore, 2022 16 200 12.5 2 Junior 2023 12 320 26.7 4 CAREER 39 640 16.4 6 Tackles Season, Year Tot So TFL Sks Freshman, 2021 14 8 3 0 Sophomore, 2022 56 28 5 1 ⁄ 2 1 Junior, 2023 63 46 10 4 1 ⁄ 2 CAREER 133 82 18 1 ⁄ 2 5 1 ⁄ 2
FALL 2024 | GAME ON 47
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