No one knows who the real talented ball players of a team's defense are better than the quarterback who has to face them every day. And now that transfer Michael Hawkins Jr. has a full spring and part of a summer underneath his belt with the Mountaineers, he's starting to develop a sense of who the really dangerous talents on his team are.
Hawkins stopped by the 3 Guys Before The Game podcast recently for an interview, and when asked about any particular players that he makes sure to identify before snapping the ball in practice, he highlighted a pair of defensive backs who WVU football fans will surely want to keep an eye on.
Chams Diagne, CB
Diagne joined the Mountaineers this season after spending the past two seasons at Georgia State. At first he doesn't jump off the page when looking at stats: he made 20 appearances and six starts during the last two years, recording 31 tackles, three pass breakups, and one interception across that same time frame.
But he adds something WVU needs desperately in the secondary – size. At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, he forces opponents to choose their matchup carefully, and has a knack for pass coverage.
“We got a corner, Chams (Diagne)," Hawkins said. "He’s a guy that’s very lengthy; he can cover really well. He’s definitely a guy you look at. You have to have the right guy out there in one-on-one situations."
Geimere Latimer, N/S
The second player who Hawkins highlighted was Geimere Latimer, who he had less to say about than Diagne, but whose resume speaks for itself.
"Geimere (Latimer) is pretty good. So those two guys are someone I look for," Hawkins said.
Latimer has Power 4 experience after spending last season with the Wisconsin Badgers, and also brings experience in Zac Alley and Rich Rodriguez's system — playing underneath the pair at Jacksonville State earlier in his collegiate career. He brings three seasons of FBS experience, and has recorded 79 tackles, five pass breakups, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles in his career.
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