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Michael Hawkins Jr. breaks Navy defense with SC Top 10-worthy touchdown for Oklahoma
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Michael Hawkins Jr. is going to see himself on SportsCenter in the coming days.
Late in the first quarter of Friday’s Armed Forces Bowl, Hawkins rolled to his left on a third-and-8 play for the Sooners. After stopping on a dime to evade a would-be tackler, Hawkins reversed course, beat another Navy defender with his legs, and fired downfield. He found wideout Zion Kearney on a deep crosser. Kearney shook off another would-be tackler and cruised into the endzone for a 56-yard touchdown that put Oklahoma up 14-0.
In one play, Hawkins took a snap from the right hash, stood on the 40-yard marker on the left side of the field, and threw a pass from the right hash.
Hawkins, a true freshman from Dallas, is getting one more chance to start at quarterback for the Sooners during the 2024 campaign. He replaced Jackson Arnold in the starting lineup for the Auburn game on Sept. 28 and started 3 games. On Oct. 19, OU made the move back to Arnold and Hawkins made just 1 more appearance during the regular season from then on. But with Arnold entering the transfer portal earlier this month, Hawkins got the chance to lead the team throughout bowl prep.
As things currently stand, the 6-foot-1 quarterback is expected to remain in Norman and battle with incoming transfer John Mateer for the starting job in 2025. New offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle brought Mateer with him from Washington State in one of the biggest moves of the offseason across college football. Mateer will be the favorite to win the job, bringing a similar brand of athleticism to the position.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
