ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Augustine starting quarterback Locklan Hewlett’s first words were probably “hike” or a play call. We can’t confirm if they exactly were, but there is a good chance his first words revolved around football - just like his entire life.
Hewlett’s father, William Hewlett, is a well-known quarterback coach. He has coached many guys in the NFL, college football, and yes you guessed it, his probably most important student - his son Locklan.
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“He makes sure not to be too much of a coach outside of football so he’s still a good dad for me,” Locklan Hewlett said. “Having that tool and having someone that is so experienced as he is, especially with all the guys he’s worked with definitely gives me another advantage.”
William Hewlett has coached pro quarterbacks like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Locklan’s dream, like every young football player, is to make it big like his father’s former students.
“That’s the goal,” Locklan Hewlett said. “I mean Anthony Richardson is unbelievable though. I don’t know if I can get to his talent, but hopefully I can be as good as he was throughout college and I think he’s going to do big things in the NFL as well.”
But if you ask Hewlett where he thinks he ranks among all of the quarterbacks his father has coached: “I’m pretty low on the list. He’s trained too many good guys so I have to work my way up. It’s going to take a long time for that.”
Hewlett always knew he wanted to play football. Although he thought at first he would be a wide receiver, but then eventually he became a quarterback like he was destined to be. Now as the starter for the Yellow Jackets, he is coached by none other than his father. This is Locklan’s second year as St. Augustine’s QB1. He decided to sit out his freshman year because he didn’t feel like he was ready for game action just yet. Though as a freshman, Locklan caught the eyes of the Wake Forest football coaches. That is when he was offered a scholarship to further his athletic career.
“The coaches have recruited since my freshman year, which means a lot coming in early before the recruiting picked up,” Hewlett said. “They showed me the most interest out of all the schools I was talking to and it felt like the best fit for me.”
Hewlett has only played in two games this season, but his stat sheet would say otherwise. He has amassed 742 passing yards, connecting on six touchdowns, completing 55 percent of his passes and only throwing one interception.
“I’ve done well, but definitely because of the help around me,” Hewlett said. “My receivers have made my life so much easier than it should be to be honest. I don’t think there is a receiver group like this in Florida. Maybe two or three other schools. But I can make a bad throw and they’ll still go up and make a play. I can throw a ball two yards into the flats and they’ll turn it into an 80-yard touchdown.”
Hewlett still has half of this season and an entire senior season to hone his craft before taking his talents to the ACC.