By Charlie Gaasch
Michael Hawkins Jr. has been dazzling coaches, teammates, and fans alike in spring practice. The freshman has early enrolled at OU and joins a QB room with Jackson Arnold, Casey Thompson, and fellow first year Brenden Zurbrugg. General Booty and Jacob Switzer likely won’t give him too much trouble however in finding a role with the team. While OU fans have learned more over the past few years about high profile player Jackson Arnold, Hawkins enters as a lesser-known prospect to the masses. However, with the recent buzz and spotlight coming from the Switzer Center, it is time for Sooner fans to meet potentially the next great quarterback for the University of Oklahoma.
The Hawkins family name is not new to the university and the fans that follow the team. Hawkins comes to OU as a legacy as his namesake Michael Hawkins Sr., his father, played corner for the Sooners under Bob Stoops and co-DC Brent Venables in the early 2000s, winning a Rose Bowl before heading to the NFL. Hawkins stands at 6 foot 2 and has a thin frame at just 195 pounds. He was rated as a four-star prospect by both ESPN and Rivals while getting a three-star rating by 247Sports and On3. Hawkins is a dual threat quarterback and was ranked second at that position by the Rivals composite recruiting rankings. He was ranked the 34th best overall QB by 247Sports and the 28th overall player in the state of Texas by Rivals. As he amassed his rankings from the top recruiting sources, Hawkins showed incredible competitive prowess and competed on the field not only during the season but afterwards as well.
Michael Hawkins Jr. will travel up I-35 north from his hometown of Dallas. He went to Frisco Emerson High School in McKinney, Texas for his senior year after transferring there from Allen High School where Sooner fans will recall their beloved Kyler Murray came from. In 2021, Hawkins was awarded Texas District 5-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year in his sophomore year. He then excelled as a junior at Allen and earned the Texas District 5-6A first-team nod. Senior year saw new heights for the Emerson prospect where he threw 55 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while totaling 4,211 yards in the air and on the ground. Emerson reached the state semifinals under Hawkins’ leadership in 2023. These feats earned him the district 3-5A MVP for the season as he wrapped up a fantastic high school career.
Elite 11 gave the young QB a stage and he performed well enough as a finalist. Hawkins was given a score of 14/20 on his accuracy, completing 70% of his passes during the finals where he competed with the top QBs of his class. Hawkins also competed at the 2023 Rivals camp in his hometown of Dallas and took home an MVP award. Accuracy is a criticism in a lot of young quarterbacks, but Hawkins showed he is ahead of the curve as the Under Armor Next All-American Dallas camp saw him win the accuracy challenge over his peers. Postseason hardware has not been uncommon for Michael Hawkins Jr. and hopefully, given the chance, he can win some for the Sooners.
The arrival as an early enrollee at OU, has immediately impressed all who have seen him take the field at the Everest Training Center and the outdoor complex at Gaylord Memorial. Fans have blown up message boards, raving about the young QB and the discord for the Crimson Captain is right there with everyone. Media around the program have not stopped posting content about Hawkins and everyone wants to know what is happening and what to expect. Wearing the blue jersey, Hawkins will not see contact in practice through the spring, thus limiting his ability to show off his dual threat nature that recruiting analysts have long raved about. However, the fact that he is still turning heads without being able to show off his keen ability to stretch the field with his legs is a strong sign of what is to come. No contact allows Hawkins to develop in other ways such as pre-snap functions, reading defenses as plays move, forming connections with his receivers, and working on ball placement and accuracy in a college level speed.
Hawkins has shown enough during his time in Norman that he's expected to compete with Casey Thompson for the backup QB role in 2024. Hawkins turning heads early on has given OU fans hope for the post-Arnold years. If Jackson Arnold is who we think he is, he will be gone after playing just two seasons in the crimson and cream, leaving a question mark as to who is next. There are endless possibilities with the landscape of college football and fans are always ready to see who could be the next Heisman winning player under center for the Sooners. Many fans have begun to focus on Kevin Sperry in the 2025 class after his commitment, but they should look no further than Michael Hawkins Jr.
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