Why ‘Freaky Fast’ QB Michael Hawkins Jr. Can Be Dangerous in Oklahoma by Seth Littrell

Comparisons have been made to Oklahoma’s new starting quarterback, which should have gotten Sooner fans excited.

Coach OU Brent Venables that true freshman announced on Monday during the coach’s weekly show Michael Hawkins Jr. will start at quarterback for the Sooners’ first SEC road trip against Auburn at 2:30 p.m., Saturday. Hawkins replaced the sophomore Jackson Arnold late in the second quarter of the Sooners’ loss to Tennessee on Saturday.

In just over half a game, Hawkins was 11 of 18 for 132 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. However, his running ability immediately raised eyebrows. Twice he ran into the end zone, but had a touchdown cleared and the ball was placed on the goal line after a replay review. He led his team in rushing yards with 22 on 12 carries. Take a pair of sacks, and Hawkins rushed for 45 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry.

“I watched him the first time and he’s a tremendous athlete,” Venables said after the game. “There were a couple of times there where we had pressure on the rim that we didn’t block and he got out of it. So he has some playmaking ability and can hurt you with his feet.

“But also, this can’t be your game. But we had a couple of drives where we got into a nice rhythm and he showed he can make some plays. And then there are some plays that we had opportunities and didn’t execute. Throws I didn’t (make). But that’s the game of football. In her first real action, there are some things you liked about her and definitely some things you didn’t like.”

Arnold was benched for his ninth turnover in five career starts, but even outside of passing the ball, OU’s offense has faltered through the first four weeks with Arnold at quarterback and Seth Littrell calling plays for the first time for the Sooners. But with Hawkins able to run the offense, the Sooners reached the end zone on two of their three fourth-quarter possessions. Hawkins rushed for 22 yards during the two scoring drives.

“I think he got more comfortable as the game went on,” Littrell said. “He’s a tough kid. He is full of energy. Obviously, he can make you right in many different ways. He is talented not only in being able to extend plays, but he is extremely alive and strong in the pocket. He’s a tough kid. Great mentality. He’s a guy we’ve been really excited about, along with Jackson. Jackson has a lot in common. They are the same and similar in different ways. Both. They’re both young guys that need to continue to grow and I need to do a great job coaching them and putting them in the right situations.”

But maybe it’s not just Hawkins who’s gotten comfortable, it’s Littrell and the way he likes to call an offense. No one has ever been more successful in a Littrell offense than Mason Finewho was a four-year starter under Littrell at North Texas. Fine left UNT with every career passing record the program held. But with just 57 career rushing yards, even Fine knew he could take Littrell’s offense to another level if he had an additional skill set.

“I’ll joke about it, but the whole time I was at North Texas, I think Littrell wanted me deep down to be a true dual-threat quarterback,” Fine told the Sooners at SI before the season. “Me, I was just a little smaller. I wasn’t the greatest athlete in the world. But I think Littrell wants that deep down. But you go with the best quarterback at the time. I don’t want to put down Jackson Arnold or anything, because if a guy can throw it and like I said before, he’s going to work to his strengths, but a dual threat in this system, oh, I think Littrell, that’s kind of his bread and butter to want a double threat.”

And what is Littrell’s bread and butter is also Hawkins’. Rivals ranked Hawkins, a 4-star recruit from Frisco (TX), as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2024. As a high school senior, according to MaxPreps, he rushed for 1,172 yards and 14 TDs. He rushed for over 100 yards in five different games that season, averaging 78.1 yards per game. He also threw for 3,039 yards and 41 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

“It helps me a lot,” Hawkins said of his running ability. “But I’m just trying to stay consistent and do the little things right and keep my techniques right.”

Hawkins has been on campus since January, in time for OU’s spring camp. And after just one offseason and four weeks into the regular season, Hawkins’ teammates have already noticed his speed and ability to run from the pocket, especially those who try to stop him every day in practice on the defensive side of the ball. .

“Very quickly,” defensive lineman Ford followed said. “I mean, he’s like Kyler Murray. He’s coming out of the pocket, people are in trouble and he showed that a little bit (Saturday night).”

The defensive back said Billy Bowman Jr.: “His maturity, you know, he doesn’t feel fresh. And like you said, since fall camp, even since spring ball, since he’s been here, we’ve all seen, you know, the things that this guy can do, how he can move the pocket, you know, -use his legs and improvise. This is the situation we are in now. So it’s good to have Mike Hawkins back out there.

And another OU defensive back, Robert Spears-Jennings: “I mean, it’s super fast and accurate. So he’s a real dual threat, so you have to be careful with him.”

Through four weeks, OU has statistically the worst offense in the SEC. But desperate for a spark and with Hawkins emerging as the QB1, Littrell may now have his secret weapon for an offense designed for a threat like Hawkins.

“The biggest thing for me,” Hawkins said, “is just trying to stay relaxed and having our guys around me building me up and (knowing) they’re behind me, so when I go in , to be able to move the ball and capitalize. to big pieces.”