Freshmen aren’t supposed to play in big games, much less play at all their first year.

Well, that’s true if this were still the 20th century. Indoor plumbing, electricity and the forward pass have pushed innovations coaches never dreamed of.

Used to be, Texas and Oklahoma coaches would never consider starting a freshman quarterback in the Red River rivalry. But now there is so much change within the sport, “I think that’s the norm now in this day and age,” UT coach Steve Sarkisian said.

Michael Hawkins Jr. will become the first true freshman to ever start for the Sooners in this historic 119-year-old rivalry on Saturday. Texas has started a true freshman only twice — Shane Buechele (2016) and Sam Ehlinger (2017). Chapter 120 could be another barnburner with a youngster at the controls for the crimson and cream.

The Sooners have started plenty of redshirt freshmen over the years but never a true freshman. Tink Collins was the first in 1989, followed by a slew of names like Rhett Bomar (2005), Sam Bradford (2007) and Spencer Rattler (2020). All told, redshirt freshmen starters are 3-2-1 against the Longhorns in their Red River debuts.

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College football wackiness highlights how Texas football must stay focused vs. Oklahoma in Red River rivalry

Texas players saw the total chaos unfolding across the SEC over the weekend, and at least one Longhorn thought it looked cool. “I’m not gonna lie,” linebacker David Gbenda said. “I do kind of want that experience. I want to be on, like, the winning side.” Winning does seem better than losing. “It wasn't really […]

Lone gone are the days where someone like Peter Gardere would start four straight years for the Longhorns. “Peter the Great,” as he’s known in Austin, went 4-0 in this game.

Even Texas’ current starter, junior Quinn Ewers, won’t play four years in this game. He’s expected to jump into the NFL Draft this spring. Sarkisian called it an “anomaly” just having a three-year starter in the first place. Backup Arch Manning, a redshirt freshman himself, is waiting his turn in 2025.

“The reality of that position, the reality of the climate of college football right now, it’s more about the scheme and then getting a feel for the quarterback from year to year,” Sarkisian said. “And then even that scheme has changed some.”

Last year’s OU play-caller Jeff Lebby is now the head coach at Mississippi State.

The true freshman can play well and your team may still come up short, as Texas knows all too well in this unpredictable matchup.

Buechele grew up in a family full of OU fans. He was the family’s anomaly and went south of the Red River. In 2016, Buechele became the second true freshman in UT history to ever start his first two games, matching a feat first set by Bobby Layne in 1944.

Against OU, Buechele completed 19 of 36 passes for 245 yards and threw three touchdowns in coach Charlie Strong’s final season. His passing total was the eighth-highest ever amassed against OU.

The following year, Ehlinger beat out Buechele for the starting job under first-year coach Tom Herman. The Westlake product grew up wanting to be a Longhorn. He threw for 278 yards and ran for a game-high 106 yards and scored both through the air and on the ground.

As great as the quarterbacks played, Texas lost both games — 45-40 in 2016 and 29-24 in 2017.

Hawkins is a true dual-threat quarterback, possibly the best athlete UT has faced yet this season. The four-star recruit entered against Tennessee late in the first half and then won the job permanently with a solid outing against Auburn. Hawkins is 21-for-33 for 293 yards and rushed for 91 yards.

Hawkins has tallied two touchdowns (one pass, one rushing) with no interceptions, and there’s a lot more scoring in his future, if the last two games are any indication.

“He’s got a skill set to where he's more than capable of a passer,” Sarkisian said. “And they use him, obviously, on some design runs and things, and that's hurt people, too.”

Sarkisian said Hawkins showed “elite speed” on a 48-yard touchdown run where Auburn’s defenders got out of their rush lanes. The quarterback was able to shoot through and sprint to the end zone.

Hawkins’ ability to tuck it and run on pass plays “stresses you from a defensive perspective,” Sarkisian said.

Everything about the Texas-OU matchup can stress out any freshman. Cooler heads always prevail, though. Hawkins gets his chance Saturday.