A former three-star recruit who earned a scholarship offer from Kentucky after leading Madison Central to the 2013 Kentucky state basketball title, Hawkins immediately earned a spot as a valuable role player as a freshman. He appeared in 33 games during his first season on campus but saw his playing time increase in the 2014 NCAA Tournament when he was used as a defensive specialist vs. Louisville, Michigan and Wisconsin. As a sophomore Hawkins started nine games when injuries elevated him to a spot on Kentucky's first platoon. With John Calipari using his platoon system, Hawkins found minutes difficult to come by as a sophomore when his teammates were healthy. He averaged 7.1 minutes per game in 23 appearances.
