of oklahoma sooners made a major change this week, with head coach Brent Venables selecting true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins instead of former five-star Jackson-Arnold for Week 5's matchup against the Auburn Tigers. It was announced that he would be appointed as the starting pitcher.
Hawkins, a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024, was seen as a promising future at the University of Oklahoma, but he started the season as the No. 2 behind the highly touted Arnold. program this offseason.
How did we get to this point, and what does Hawkins bring to the Sooners?
How we got here
Last year, the Sooners made significant improvements in the second year under coach Brent Venables, going from 6-7 in 2022 to 10-3 in 2023 and into the top 12 in the national rankings.
Venables relied on veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who shined in his second year with the Sooners, tossing for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, while scoring an astonishing 12 points. I was aiming for a high score.
Gabriel's elevation to one of college football's top quarterbacks posed a dilemma for the Sooners, who had previously acquired five-star Jackson Arnold, the top signal caller in the Class of 2023. He was expected to play at Oklahoma sooner or later.
Gabriel ultimately opted to enter the transfer portal before the team's bowl game, clearing the way for Arnold to earn the starting job in 2024. That start dates back to last year's Alamo Bowl vs. Arizona, where the five-star pitcher threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns, along with three interceptions in a 38-24 loss.
Venables clarified on Monday that the team did not move the veteran away from the program, but that the decision was Gabriel's own.
“You can't make a guy stay,” Venables said of Gabriel. “The guy's trying to figure out what's next. The next chapter for him. I'm sure there's been some disappointment, but… [Gabriel] It wasn't that highly regarded in the NFL. He had a great year. He was a great quarterback. But none of us ran away or anything like that. ”
I didn't know at the time that he wasn't going to go to the NFL,” Venables continued about his conversation with Gabriel at the time. “I didn't even know we had to fight this battle. I didn't even know you were thinking about coming back. And he was like, 'Yeah, but I just want to be closer to home.' Said. We hugged and shook hands. He got a little emotional and so did I. Everything was really good and positive. ”
Arnold had high expectations entering this year as he was part of the next wave of young, up-and-coming quarterbacks expected to take over their respective programs this year.
Looking around the country, teams like Tennessee (Nico Iamareaba), USC (Miller Moss), LSU (Garrett Nussmeier), Michigan State (Davis Warren/Alex Orge), Kansas (Avery Johnson) all ended up going to less experienced quarterbacks in an attempt to maintain a high level of success. Some of these decisions have proven early successes, while others have experienced ups and downs along the way.
Arnold is among a group that has faced its fair share of ups and downs to start the season. After a four-touchdown performance in Oklahoma's season-opening 51-3 win over Temple, the sophomore was inconsistent in Week 2, and the Sooners faced an unexpected problem, defeating Houston by 16. I only beat it by 12.
In the win, Arnold had 174 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while completing just 59.4 percent of his passes.
The accuracy issues carried over into Week 3 against Tulane, where Arnold completed 62.1 percent of his passes, throwing for 169 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. He averaged just 5.8 yards per throw in the game.
Arnold was benched last weekend in Oklahoma's first loss of the season. Facing one of the best defenses in the country, the former five-star had nothing going for him, completing 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards while throwing for just 54 yards and one interception. Ta. He also had two fumbles and all of his turnovers came in the first half.
Needing a boost, Venables was replaced by Hawkins with 1:40 left in the first half, and the true freshman took over from there to close out the game.
Hawkins' story
Coming into the 2024 season, true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins may have been one of the most overlooked players on the University of Oklahoma's roster dating back to the spring.
Going into the offseason, it was clear this was Jackson-Arnold's team, especially with Dillon Gabriel entering the transfer portal and the Sooners seeking additional experience to bridge the gap between starters and true freshmen. This was especially true after the addition of seventh-year senior Casey Thompson.
But Hawkins, who enrolled early, was one of the biggest surprises for Oklahoma this spring, making the most of his opportunity when running with two, especially with the potential of a two-threat different from the rest of the roster. demonstrated.
Still, coming out of the spring, it was unclear whether the true freshman would replace Thompson on the strength chart, given the vast experience gap between the two.
However, as the fall progressed and Hawkins became more comfortable, the impressive true freshman was able to earn the No. 2 job despite being clearly Arnold's team heading into the season. Ta.
Now, for a player making his first start at the collegiate level, there are expected bumps along the way, but there is a clear sense of urgency from Brent Venables to replace the quarterback this early, and offensive coordinator Seth Littrell had noted the need for a signal-caller to manage and run the game after the team's loss to Tennessee.
“What I'm looking for is a player who can manage the game and execute at a high level,” Littrell said. “I'm not saying that about anyone. I'll evaluate it myself tomorrow. It starts with me. You have to make sure you evaluate every situation. That's the reality.”
Arnold had started just five games, including a bowl game, before Oklahoma parted ways with the former five-star quarterback in favor of another young, promising option, making the move to Hawkins difficult. It was quick.
In this case, Hawkins made the most of his opportunity, flashed enough in the spring to earn a backup job in the fall, and performed well enough when his name was called this Saturday.
Working as a reliever for Arnold against one of the toughest defenses in the country, Hawkins threw for 132 yards and a touchdown on 11-of-18 passes and got a chance to shine on the ground. He was able to settle down in the second half and led two touchdown drives against Oklahoma in an eventual 25-15 loss.
Hawkins' scrambling ability could be a big addition for the Sooners, who struggled with protection against Tennessee.
“He's a great athlete,” Venables said of Hawkins after the game. “There were a couple of situations where he had edge pressure and couldn't block, but he overcame that. I mean, he has some playmaking ability and he can hurt people with his feet. is.”
At this point, this move appears to be the right one for Oklahoma as they begin a tough SEC schedule and currently need their best quarterback to win games.
Hawkins will be eligible to play this week against the Auburn Tigers and will make his first career start at Oklahoma. He has a huge opportunity to become a Sooners player.
Well, Venables still shared a vote of confidence in Arnold, saying that although he had a bad game Saturday, the sophomore still has a lot of time to improve and will have a good college career where he can accomplish all his goals.
“We needed some things to go well in the second half, but they weren't good enough, and we learn from that,” Venables said. “Just like I said to Jackson, 'Hey, hey, it's a bad moment, it's a bad night. It's not a bad career. So don't get into a groove and focus on getting better. Please.’ And that’s all of us. ”
“Axon is going to have a great future and career. He's going to be playing this game for a long time and all of that will sort itself out in time.”
But for now, this is Hawkins' team, and his journey begins this Saturday against Auburn, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
