Hayden Hawk enters his sixth year as offensive coordinator at Henderson State in 2023.
Hawk took a redshirt freshman quarterback in 2022 and turned his first nine career starts into 2137 yards - third in the conference with 213.7 yards per game - and 21 passing touchdowns. Andrew Edwards would become Henderson's first Great American Conference Freshman of the Year since 2012. As an entire offensive unit, the Reddies were third in the league with 443.9 total yards per game. By the end of the regular season, HSU was one of just four teams in Division II to average over 235 passing and 200 rushing yards per game.
The Reddie offense also produced a unanimous All-GAC First Team selection in Xavier Malone, All-GAC Second Team recipients in Korien Burrell and Mike Benning and an Honorable Mention in freshman return specialist Jody Easter. Malone (First Team), Burrell (Second Team) and Benning (Second Team) were each also named to the All-Super Region Three teams. It is the third season in a row Henderson has had an All-Region First Team honoree.
Under Hawk in 2021, Henderson had the No. 1 offense in the Great American Conference, averaging a conference-best 40.5 points per game and 494.4 total yard per game. The high-power offense was fueled by the Reddie passing game, which put up a league-high 311.2 yards per outing. Six offensive players were named 2021 All-GAC honorees, including unanimous First Team selection and two-time All-American L'liott Curry.
Henderson's offense flourished under Hawk's direction in 2019 during his second season calling plays. The Reddies finished third in the GAC in scoring offense (31.7 points per game), averaged 393.1 yards per contest and had one of the premier passing offenses in the GAC. The passing game accounted for 25 touchdowns — the second-most in the league — and averaged over 250 yards per game through the air. Despite the passing success, the Reddies remained incredibly balanced and also rushed for 24 scores on the ground. HSU's starting quarterback, running back and top two receivers each earned All-GAC recognition after helping lead the team to a nine-win season.
During his first year at the helm of the offense, the Reddies averaged 370.8 yards and 25.6 points per game to finish in the top half of the Great American Conference in both categories. Henderson's passing game was particularly successful, and averaged just over 236 yards per contest through the air.
Hawk came to Henderson in 2018 after two seasons at Division I Eastern Michigan, where he served as the offensive graduate assistant in charge of wide receivers. During his two years with the Eagles, Hawk helped EMU reach the 2016 Bahamas Bowl and notch 12 wins, which represented the best two-year stretch for the program since 1988-89. He also spent one season in 2015 at Southern Methodist University (SMU) under Chad Morris, where he was an offensive quality control assistant that worked directly with quarterbacks. At SMU, Hawk was responsible for opponent breakdowns, game plans and scouting reports.
Prior to his coaching career, Hawk was a stand-out performer for Central Missouri. A two-time team captain and MIAA All-Conference honoree at quarterback, Hawk completed 63 percent of his passes for 5687 yards and 46 touchdowns through the air, and rushed for another 10 scores, during his career with the Mules. In 2014, Hawk led UCM to a Texarkana Bowl victory and directed the No. 1 scoring offense in the MIAA.
A native of Coppell, Texas, Hawk was a two-year starter for Coppell High School, where he threw for over 3400 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior. Hawk led Coppell to an 11-2 record, earned District Offensive MVP recognition and led all senior 5A quarterbacks in the state in passing yards.
Hawk received his bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science and Statistics from Central Missouri in 2014 and his master’s degree in Sports Management from Eastern Michigan in 2018. He and his wife Taylor have two children, Mia (2) and Brady (1 month).
