Sooners backup QB Michael Hawkins Jr. gets the second chance of a lifetime to do what many people back home may hate him for
Oklahoma Sooners backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. is ready to earn his second shot as the starter for Oklahoma following John Mateer’s injury
Last season, the Oklahoma Sooners turned the keys to the offense over to true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. midway through the season. Starting quarterback Jackson Arnold struggled operating the offense, committing multiple back-breaking turnovers that lost the Sooners their SEC opener against the Tennessee Volunteers.
The sudden thrust into action left Hawkins fairly unequipped to handle all the pressures that come with being a starting quarterback for an SEC blue blood. As a true freshman, Hawkins was already dealing with having to adjust to the speed of college football, and this was made worse with all of the surrounding circumstances afflicting the Sooners’ offense last season.
With John Mateer’s recent injury, Hawkins is once again thrust into the limelight as the starting quarterback of the Sooners. Unlike last season, however, Hawkins is much more equipped and ready to handle the schedule ahead, especially in the Red River Rivalry game against the Texas Longhorns.
Why Backup Quarterback Michael Hawkins Is Ready To Start Now
Last season, the Sooners were a giant mess offensively. There was a weird balance of power between the co-offensive coordinators that led to a jumbled mess of a scheme, he didn’t have a true quarterback coach for the entire season, and the slew of injuries across the board offensively made things ten times worse.
However, the Sooners are a different beast this season. They are healthy across the offense, especially with the expected returns of wide receiver Javonnie Gibson and offensive tackle Michael Fasusi against Kent State. They have much better playmakers and protection around him this year than they did last season.
The most important addition, however, was the hiring of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski. Those two are a support structure that Hawkins simply didn’t have from the staff last season, and they could be the pivotal difference-maker for his confidence this year.
When Hawkins started the bowl game, he did so with Arbuckle operating as his quarterbacks coach. In that game, Hawkins looked much more comfortable and decisive throwing the football after the time with Arbuckle. Now in relief of Mateer, Hawkins gets Arbuckle basically one-on-one again and time to build up chemistry with the starting offense.
Arbuckle’s foresight as a coach may have paid off. Last week, Brent Venables made an interesting comment about how the team approaches prepping Hawkins.
“We’re preparing him every single week, like he’s a guy that’s got to go in and take 70 or 80 snaps. Until our hand’s forced, we’re not at any liberty to just get him in for a few series here. We’d hate to burn his year unnecessarily. The course of the season will work itself out, but we’re going to be very mindful of not burning his year before we have to.”
With a new opportunity ahead of him, Hawkins has a chance to prove he can be the heir apparent to Mateer and lead the Sooners to success. Not many players earn another opportunity after what looked like a disaster last season, but Hawkins has continued to impress this coaching staff and has earned another shot. Hopefully, he makes the most of it.
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