Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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NORMAN — Baker Mayfield met Michael Hawkins Jr. for the first time when the current Oklahoma quarterback volunteered at the former OU Heisman Trophy Winner’s kids camp in Norman last July.
And yet, Hawkins had already made a strong impression on his legendary predecessor.
“From the people that I’ve talked to, he’s strong in his faith,” Mayfield said of Hawkins that day. “(Victory Family Church pastor) Adam Starling, who married my wife and I, said he’s an unbelievable guy. So you can always root for guys like that from afar. You don’t have to meet him, but you can tell what type of character he has, his work ethic.”
All of Sooner Nation is now rooting for Hawkins once again. It was announced Tuesday that OU starting quarterback John Mateer suffered a hand injury in the Sooners’ win over Auburn last Saturday. Mateer will undergo surgery Wednesday and will miss some games.
That means Hawkins will be back under center for the Sooners after they come out of their bye week. Head coach Brent Venables confirmed Tuesday that Hawkins will start No. 7 OU’s next game, against Kent State on Oct. 4.
“We have all the confidence in the world in Michael and are excited for his opportunity to lead our offense while John recovers,” Venables said in a press release Tuesday. “He had some big moments for us last season as a true freshman and has just gotten better and better. I’m proud of the work Michael’s put in and the progress he’s made, and know he will attack this opportunity to help lead our football team.”
A sophomore from Frisco, Texas, and the son of former OU cornerback Michael Hawkins Sr., Hawkins Jr. appeared in seven games and started four contests as a true freshman last year.
Hawkins Jr. replaced the benched Jackson Arnold in OU’s 2024 Southeastern Conference opener versus Tennessee, then led OU to a road win at Auburn in his first career start.
He struggled against Texas and South Carolina, resulting in a return to the bench, but he showed flashes of excellence when he started the Armed Forces Bowl, after Arnold had transferred to Auburn. A depleted OU roster narrowly lost on a failed two-point conversion.
Hawkins endeared himself to fans by sticking around even when he likely knew Mateer was transferring to OU. By all indications, Hawkins has trusted in the plan of further refining his game en route to becoming Mateer’ successor.
Venables said during spring practice that he saw an “enhanced version” of Hawkins under the tutelage of new OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and assistant quarterbacks coach John Kuceyeski, who came from Washington State along with Mateer.
“(Hawkins) made more improvement in the last several weeks than he did all of last year, in my opinion,” Venables said after the Crimson Combine on April 12. “You would expect him to take another big leap just being a true freshman last year and all that he was exposed to and picking up a new offense. I thought he did a great job. I thought the staff did a great job. Coach Kuz and Coach Arbuckle did a wonderful job developing the confidence in him.”
Besides just his development and a better system to play in, there are other reasons to think Hawkins Jr. can be more successful in his second act than he was last year.
OU has more talent and fewer injuries at wide receiver and offensive line than it did a year ago, and possesses an even more ferocious defense.
The Sooners’ running backs have yet to get going consistently, but Hawkins’ rushing ability could help mitigate some of that. He’s arguably a more dynamic runner than Mateer.
Ultimately, Hawkins’ success could come down to whether or not his decision making has improved from one year to the next.
He struggled to pull the trigger in the right spots during OU’s loss to Texas last year, then threw two interceptions in the first nine plays of South Carolina’s blowout win over the Sooners.
This certainly isn’t ideal for Oklahoma, losing the current Heisman Trophy frontrunner in Mateer just four games into the season.
The Sooners had planned to redshirt Hawkins prior to Mateer’s injury. His only appearance through four games this season has been in garbage time versus Temple.
After Kent State, OU rounds out October with Texas, South Carolina and Ole Miss, all of whom are, or have been, ranked this season.
But Arbuckle has been eagerly molding Hawkins Jr. since the coach arrived at OU, and now has a bye week and tune up game to help Hawkins get ready for the Red River Rivalry.
Perhaps there’s some Sooner Magic to be made between a wunderkind coordinator and a young quarterback who has stayed hungry for a second chance.
“Mike is about as diligent of a worker as you’re ever gonna meet,” Arbuckle said during the radio broadcast of the Crimson Combine. “He doesn’t say just a whole lot all the time, but man, whenever you’re in the film room, he’s locked in, he’s taking great notes. He constantly learns. When he makes a mistake in practice, he’s constantly learning and evolving so he doesn’t make the same mistake again.
“And you’re gonna be hard pressed to find a better athlete on this field than Mike Hawkins. I’m pretty sure he’s the fastest kid out there. I could be wrong, but that dude has wheels, and he’s gonna be a lot of fun to coach and just have around. He’s great for the room, he’s great for the offense. Mike Hawkins is a stud.”
mason.young@tulsaworld.com
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Mason Young
Tulsa World OU Sports Reporter
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