No matter who the Sooners bring in through the transfer portal, Oklahoma’s rookie quarterback, who will start in the Armed Forces Bowl versus Navy on December 27, has no intention of leaving the program this summer and is ready to fight for the starting position next season. Hawkins declared, “I’m going to be at Oklahoma,” following practice on Friday. “I would like to be here. Being a quarterback at Oklahoma is what I want to do.
Hawkins, a former four-star prospect out of Dallas, will make his fourth start of the season when Oklahoma travels down to Fort Worth, Texas, later this month, as he takes the reins of the offense following Jackson Arnold’s entry into the transfer portal. Hawkins previously started three games midseason — against Auburn, Texas and South Carolina — after Arnold was benched in the SEC opener against Tennessee on Sept. 21, but the freshman saw limited action over the last five games of the regular season.
In six games as a true freshman, the 6-foot-1, 196-pound player has completed 48 of 77 passes (62.3%) for 526 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. In addition, he has ran for 143 yards and a touchdown. In his first career start, he helped lead Oklahoma to its first-ever SEC victory by masterminding a fourth-quarter comeback on the road against Auburn.
He started the following two weeks against Texas and South Carolina but struggled in both games. None more so than the Oct. 19 matchup with the Gamecocks, when he committed three turnovers—two interceptions and a fumble—over the Sooners’ first three possessions of the game. Two of those turnovers were returned for touchdowns by South Carolina, which jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the game’s first six minutes before cruising to a 35-9 victory.
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