Morristown, Tenn. — His journey has come full circle. After two All-American seasons at Walters State as a player and two seasons as an assistant coach, Brad Hawkins has been named the new head golf coach for the Senators.

The 26-year-old Hawkins takes over for the retiring Bill Gardner, who coached at WSCC for 48 years.

"It's going to be hard to come in after a legend," Hawkins said. "Hopefully we can keep things going well and keep the team at the top notch level where we compete for national championships."

Hawkins knows a little about racking up titles. With the Senators from 2013-2014, the Knoxville, Tenn. native achieved two first-team NJCAA All-American nods, a first-team Ping All-American selection and a second-team Ping All-American selection.

Hawkins learned a lot from Gardner, who recruited him out of Knox Central High School, as he excelled on the links as a Senator.

"It was fun," Hawkins said. "He (Gardner) liked to have a good time, but he was an old military man. He had some things he was very strict on."

When his time was up at Walters State, he finished up his degree and collegiate career at Tusculum University, where the accolades kept coming. Hawkins made the 2015 All-South Atlantic Conference squad in his first season. In his second, he was the SAC Player of the Year, a first-team All-Region pick and a second-team All-American. He was recognized as the NCAA Division II Scoring Leader and a GCAA All-American Scholar in 2015 and 2016.

Hawkins joined the PGA Tour after graduating and still plays in 8-10 tournaments a year, but it was an invite from Gardner that would change his destiny and bring him to coaching.

"When Coach Gardner offered me the chance to be an assistant coach, I was hesitant at first," Hawkins said. "Once I started, I realized I enjoyed it and that's what I wanted to get into."

Now, Hawkins has been handed the keys to the program, one loaded with talent that he's helped bring into the fold over the last two seasons.

"A lot of these kids I actually recruited," Hawkins said. "So it's going to be cool to work with them see how much better they can be over the next few years."