Sooners QB Michael Hawkins is showing he’s more than ready to rise to the occasion, and he hasn’t even started a game in 2025 yet
Michael Hawkins is going to be playing QB against Kent State.
When John Mateer had surgery, the Oklahoma Sooners didn’t wince as badly as most teams would when their starting, Heisman-favorite QB goes down. That’s because they have Michael Hawkins, who’s not your average sophomore backup QB, as their backup.
Hawkins is not the same QB we saw on the field last year as a starter when he took over for Jackson Arnold, who is now the starting QB for the Auburn Tigers.
Michael Hawkins has grown a lot since last year
“I feel like I took a big step, and I feel like a big part of that is because of the people around me,” Hawkins told reporters on Monday. “Coach Kuc and Coach Arbuckle, just the support staff. It’s just been a great environment I’ve been in… The vibe in the room is more upbeat and just happy. Having those guys healthy just really helps your mindset and just how you are going on the field. Just the connection with those guys really helps you.”
Hawkins played in 2025, notably late in the game when the Sooners were blowing out the Temple Owls. However, in that game, all we saw was him going one-of-three passing for five yards, and six rushes for 25 yards.
Last season, the offense was so bad that we never got to see Hawkins at his full potential. And, everything with the season went so bad that most figured once Mateer transferred, Hawkins would as well.
“I’ve been very pleased with my decision to stay,” Hawkins continued. “Having that support staff and coach Arbuckle, he’s a great coach. I know what I was getting into. … Knew I was going to stay. I obviously knew I had to think about who was coming here, but as soon as I saw that coach Arbuckle was coming here and coach Kuc and his staff, I liked my decision to stay.”
Hawkins has been making all the right decisions with his words during the last week. He’s confident in himself, and so are the Sooners, to go and execute at a high level. We’ve heard Brent Venables rave about him, and his decision to stay because he knew he would be ready when an opportunity presented itself again.
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