Michael Hawkins Jr's legacy ties to Oklahoma extend beyond just his father suiting up for the Sooners.
Hawkins, who was named OU’s starting quarterback as a true freshman this week, and Kyler Murray, who won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma in 2018, have the same quarterback coach — Murray’s dad.
According to SoonerScoop s' George Stoia, Kevin Murray has been training Hawkins since he was in eighth grade . The connection came because both Kevin Murray and Michael Hawkins Sr., who played for the Sooners in the early 2000s, both became private trainers in the DFW area.
The two shared a lot in common with their backgrounds and demands for their sons, so it was only natural for Hawkins Jr. to take up training with Murray.
Murray was an early believer in Hawkins, seeing his demeanor and talent as a dual-threat quarterback. Murray told Stoia that Hawkins was "right in that top percentile of guys" he has worked with over his decade-long career as a quarterback trainer.
"He had the velocity, he could control it, he had the accuracy and just the ability to spin it....Couple that with his athleticism and footwork and you have a difference-maker at the position. Those are no-brainer traits you want out of the quarterback position. I don’t want a quarterback who’s a big runner but can’t make the layups. He can run it and make the layups. And if you can’t make the layups, then you’re just a runner playing quarterback. There’s nothing sexy about a kid who can run fast and juke guys but can’t hit the broad side of a barn."
Murray further elaborated on his belief in Hawkins, telling Stoia that schools missed out on their opportunity to get Hawkins and that he should have been a five-star recruit.
" The kid is different. The kid is special. When you have a kid who can do things like what Kyler can do — and he’s not there yet — he’s got a lot of shit to prove. But when you can throw it like that and you can run it like that, that’s a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare.”
All offseason long, there was plenty of talk about Hawkins' ability in camp. He made a strong impression on the staff not just with his physical tools, but also his mental approach to the game and his rare maturity for a freshman.
Related: Turnovers gave Brent Venables no choice but to start Michael Hawkins, bench Jackson Arnold vs. Auburn
It's no surprise Hawkins easily surpassed Casey Thompson for the QB2 spot. Especially after his performance in relief of Jackson Arnold in the second half of the Sooners' 25-15 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.
Hawkins missed his fair share of plays and made some freshman mistakes, but it's undeniable that the offense simply moved better than it had in any other game of Oklahoma's season. Did Tennessee look lax defensively? Perhaps that played some part in it, but that doesn't diminish the quality of throws Hawkins was making.
The most telling part of his play was that Hawkins simply didn't turn the ball over against the Vols. That alone keeps the offense on the field and at least gives them a chance to put points on the board. With the way Oklahoma's defense has played this season, that will be enough to keep them in games.
It only gets harder from here, with tests against Texas, Ole Miss, Missouri, Alabama, and LSU, but Kevin Murray is a believer in Michael Hawkins Jr.
"Be patient with him, support him and watch him grow. There’s going to be some bumps in the road — he’s a true a freshman, dude. He’s a true freshman playing in the SEC. He’s going to see things he’s never seen before. This ain’t the Big 12. But he knows that. He signed up for this...
He’ll be ready."
Local News
Comments / 0