4-star QB Ty Hawkins details flip to SMU: 'Something is brewing in Dallas'

Four-star quarterback Ty Hawkins was committed to TCU for over a year. The San Antonio native, who played his first three seasons at Claudia Taylor Johnson High, had already made one big football change this week, transferring to IMG Academy in Florida.

On Wednesday, Hawkins decided it was time to make another major change. The 6-foot gunslinger announced that he has flipped his commitment from the Horned Frogs to SMU. The Mustangs have pushed hard this summer, got him on campus for an official visit and have now pulled off a major recruiting win.

Hawkins sees opportunity and potential in Dallas. The window opened for him to enter the fold under head coach Rhett Lashlee and QBs coach D’Eriq King and he took it.

“This past weekend. I’ve just been talking with my parents a lot,” Hawkins told On3 on when he made a decision. “I feel like at SMU I just have a better chance of playing early and it’s a really good opportunity there. It’s a great city, great location. I feel like something is brewing in Dallas, for sure.”

“This was a super hard decision,” he added. “Being committed for a year now and the relationship that I have with the guys at TCU, the coaching staff, especially Coach (Kendal) Briles who’s been recruiting me since day one…this is a super tough decision. It hurts leaving, but I feel like SMU just might be a better spot for me.”

Hawkins’ official visit to SMU was important

It was that trip to Dallas last month that really began to open Hawkins’ eyes. Spending time around King and Lashlee, Hawkins felt the love from the new ACC program. The potential to learn under King was a major factor in his decision to flip.

“The OV was big, honestly. Hanging out with Coach King and getting to hang out with him and Coach Lashlee and all the coaches there. I feel a connection between us and the relationship will just keep growing,” said Hawkins, the No. 87 overall prospect and No. 9 QB in the 2025 On300. “Coach King feels like a real genuine guy and I can see him coaching me just because of the experience he has and the offense that Coach Lashlee runs.”

“The fact that he’s a pretty young coach is honestly cool to me, because I feel like we connect better,” he said of King. “We have the same mindset, almost. He’s been in the system, he knows what I’ll be looking at.”

Hawkins is eager to continue his football career in a spot like Dallas, and he thinks other top prospects in the nation should be, too. As SMU transitions into the Power Four, opportunities are plentiful. Hawkins also sees himself as a major fit in Lashlee’s offense and is hopeful to immediately contribute.

“I feel like his development of quarterbacks throughout the years, any type of play style, any type of QB he’s had, he’s been able to use their talents and maximize their talents.”