Tyler Hansen admits ‘a little bit of nepotism’ under Dan Hawkins (but not enough to matter)

The South Park guys were (probably) only joking when they had Eric Cartman suggest in 2007 that one of Cody Hawkins' main virtues as Colorado's starting quarterback was the DNA he shared with then-head coach Dan Hawkins. But now that the Hawkinses are gone, Cody's counterpart under center, Tyler Hansen, is willing to admit to ESPN that he didn't always think it was so funny:

Yes, Hansen admits, it was never comfortable trying to beat out the coach's son for the starting job.

"It was awkward at moments," Hansen said. "There were moments maybe when you'd do something good, and Coach Hawk wouldn't say anything but when Cody did it, he said something. Maybe there was a little nepotism there."
[…]
"I think we handled it the way it was supposed to [be handled]. We were both positive with each other and we were friends on and off the field. But it was awkward at moments."

close-knit relationship significantly affected playing time at the most important position on the field ? and the record is with him for two reasons: a) Cody Hawkins was a slightly better passer than Hansen, statistically, and had essentially the same winning percentage as a starter over the last three years; and b) Hansen eventually came out ahead in the competition, starting the last seven games of 2009 and the first seven of 2010 before his season was cut short by the most painful-sounding injury of the year, a ruptured spleen. At the end of his tenure, Dan Hawkins expressed regret for recruiting his son to play for him in the first place because of the added scrutiny that came with the team's struggles. (I can't imagine that was a very fun household the last four seasons.) But there's no evidence the team wouldn't have been any better for it.

As for whether the Buffs will be better off this fall without father or son, that's largely up to Hansen, who'll likely open the season as the undisputed, full-time starter for the first time in his career. Anyone who's imagining an inspired leap may be succumbing to a little pie-in-the-sky themselves.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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