The Minnesota Golden Gophers' recruiting class of 2011 will include a transfer student, as kicker Chris Hawthorne will bring himself from North Carolina State to Minnesota to play for Coach Kill and the Gophers.

Hawthorne walked on as a freshman for the Wolfpack, and saw action in three games in 2010. He was only the primary kicker for one game, but he went 5-for-5 on extra points and drilled a 25-yard field goal as North Carolina State defeated Wake Forest. He also kicked off 17 times with one touchback.

The 6'4", 180-pound kicker. . .who also has the ability to punt. . .played his high school football at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He only played one year of high school football, but was 8-for-8 on field goals and 44-for-46 on extra points that season.

For a more complete biography of Chris Hawthorne, be sure to hit up the folks at Gopher Sports. Check out this video of Hawthorne as well.