Former OU quarterback ranked among best Big 12 portal QB commits

· Yahoo Sports

After two straight years of quarterback room makeovers, the Oklahoma Sooners lost just one player from that unit heading into 2026, and they only gained one player to that group at the same time. For the first time since 2023, there's stability at that position group in Norman. That stability extends to the coaches, where offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and top lieutenant John Kuceyeski are also back in 2026.

Returning starter John Mateer will be joined by returning backups Whitt Newbauer and Jett Niu. The newcomer to the room is true freshman Bowe Bentley, who is the heir apparent after Mateer's final season. OU's only exit from the quarterback room is Michael Hawkins Jr., who transferred to West Virginia.

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With Hawkins now residing in Morgantown, he'll get a chance to compete for the starting job this offseason for the Mountaineers. His primary competition will be Scotty Fox Jr., and the winner of the race will get to run head coach Rich Rodriguez's offense.

Hawkins is one of many newcomers at QB in the Big 12, and On3 thinks he's among the best. They released their list of the top 10 transfer portal quarterback commits in the league, and Hawkins made his way onto the list at No. 10.

Hawkins spent two years at Oklahoma, starting a total of five games and going 2-3 as a starter during his time in Norman. He was thrown into the fire as a true freshman in 2024, when the Sooners benched Jackson Arnold against Tennessee. Hawkins played well enough against the Volunteers to earn the starting gig against Auburn. Then, he led OU's first-ever SEC win in dramatic fashion against the Tigers in his first-ever start.

However, an uneven performance against Texas and a bad start against South Carolina put Hawkins back on the bench and Arnold back on the field for the rest of a dismal season. Hawkins did start the bowl loss to Navy, and played well to finish a roller coaster freshman year.

With Mateer arriving on the scene in 2025, Hawkins was again relegated to QB2. He started the Kent State win after Mateer had surgery, but would not get a revenge chance against Texas, as Mateer returned to face the Longhorns. Hawkins redshirted, and when Mateer decided to come back for one more year, and with Bentley waiting in the wings, Hawkins hit the portal and ended up with the Mountaineers, along with his defensive back younger brother Maliek.

For the first time in his career, Hawkins has the opportunity to win a starting job and become the full-time starter at the college level, instead of being thrown into the game unexpectedly. His live arm, incredible speed, and dynamic athleticism should make him a perfect fit for RichRod at WVU.

Though it didn't work out at Oklahoma, Hawkins was always there for the Sooners when they needed him. After a total QB rebuild following the disastrous '24 season, he was the only quarterback to stay put and give OU another year. With a better chance to play, and an offensive system that should be a great fit for his skillset, Hawkins should thrive at West Virginia.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Former Oklahoma QB ranked among top quarterback commits in the Big 12

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