Nebraska Football: Comparing Linebacker Recruits Christian Jones And Will Hawthorne

The Huskers are in the final reckoning for these two talented linebackers when deciding where to play their college football.

Christian Jones 6-2.5/215 and Will Hawthorne 6-2/ 220 have very similar measurables but who would be the preferred choice for Husker Nation to see donning the Scarlet and Cream?

Jones has a fast twitch element to his game that allows him to get into positions to make plays which is something that Tony White covets in his multiple defensive schemes. That side-to-side speed means he can cover the open space where so much of the game is won and lost. His ability to change direction is a huge reason that he is so highly rated and recruited by some of the top schools in the country like Oklahoma, Auburn, and USC.

Hawthorne is more of a typical middle linebacker in that he relishes the physical nature of the position and puts in bone-crushing hits when he gets the chance. By no means a slow mover he doesn’t have the fast twitch hips that Jones possesses but is great at reading the game to burst through gaps to make hits. He is an instinctive player with a feel for the game that a linebacker needs to have to command the middle of the field. With his emphasis on winning the collisions, he would be invaluable in the rough and tumble Big Ten Conference.

Jones is the top-rated Nebraska in-state recruit for a reason and it would add to the momentum that Matt Rhule is building at Memorial Stadium. Rhule won’t win every in-state recruiting battle but one would hope to lock down the top-ranked in-state recruit every cycle. Hawthorne is a stone’s throw away from Iowa State and it looks like it will be a shootout between the two schools to see who will win out.

Personally, Jones edges Hawthorne purely on the in-state element of this recruiting battle although I would love to see Hawthorne smashing through blocks and lighting up running backs on a cold November day.

Jones looks set to drag his decision into the season and Hawthorne appears much closer to pulling the trigger.

Maybe Rhule lands both, but I guess that Hawthorne’s pending decision will affect what Jones does.

GBR