Oklahoma Sooners’ quarterback issue is even worse when you really take a step back and look at what Michael Hawkins Jr. is doing
The Oklahoma Sooners are missing Michael Hawkins Jr. right now as John Mateer keeps turning the ball over.
The Oklahoma Sooners have a clear quarterback problem in John Mateer. Sure, he’s not the sole reason they have lost their games, but he’s a major one. And even against Kentucky, he was pretty good, some of the best football he’s played this season. But it won’t be enough until they start winning games.
And, unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like a theme we will see this season. And it only gets worse every week when you see a guy like Michael Hawkins Jr. go off week after week. They chose Mateer over him, and now they’re seeing Hawkins become a legitimate Heisman candidate.
Right now, Hawkins is putting up insane numbers. He’s got 1,500 passing yards, ten passing TDs, and only one interception. Hold up now, I put those numbers first for a reason.
He also has 749 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. Yes, 14 rushing touchdowns. And, sure, it’s the Big 12, but he’s played some very good teams. And he’s playing far better than Mateer is, and it’s not even close.
Sooners made their decision with John Mateer; they have to live with it
Two years ago, the Sooners benched Jackson Arnold during a dismal SEC offensive stretch. In his place, true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins flashed potential with some standout moments, despite the team’s overall struggles. A year later, Hawkins was expected to take over, but the Sooners hired Ben Arbuckle from Washington State, who brought his own quarterback, John Mateer, with him.
Initially, Hawkins stayed at Oklahoma, though in hindsight he might have been better off leaving sooner. This offseason, he entered the transfer portal and landed at West Virginia. His parents—his father a former OU player—criticized the program publicly on social media. Now, Hawkins is thriving.
Did the Sooners choose the wrong quarterback? Maybe. At the time, though, Mateer was considered the top transfer portal QB, coming off a strong run in the Pac-2, and Oklahoma invested NIL money to secure him.
Hawkins is clearly a talented player. It’s unclear whether things would have worked out for him at Oklahoma, but he never truly got a fair opportunity with a strong supporting cast. Now, he’s proving himself as a legitimate dual-threat quarterback—statistically, one of the nation’s best.
