West Virginia’s quarterback picture for 2026 is coming into focus, and it looks like Mike Hawkins Jr. is the man Rich Rodriguez plans to build around.
Pete Nakos of On3 reported Friday morning that WVU is expected to name Hawkins the starter, though that decision has felt settled for a while inside and outside the program. There was no real quarterback battle in fall camp. Hawkins has owned this job for some time.
That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the path he took to Morgantown. Hawkins spent his first two seasons at Oklahoma backing up Jackson Arnold and John Mateer.
He was originally viewed as the Sooners’ next major quarterback project, but that timeline changed when new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle brought Mateer to Norman with him. Oklahoma tried to keep Hawkins around for one more year with the idea of handing him the offense in 2027, but after two years of learning behind veterans, Hawkins decided he was ready to play now.
His move to West Virginia came after plenty of recruiting interest, too. Coming out of high school, Hawkins drew offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Memphis, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina State, North Texas, Nebraska, Penn State, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and others, along with Oklahoma.
Once he entered the transfer portal, multiple Power Four programs - including some from the SEC - made a push. He had visits lined up, but after his trip to Morgantown, he shut everything else down and committed to the Mountaineers.
Hawkins’ family framed the decision as one about opportunity, not promises. “We didn’t ask for any guarantees," his father, Mike Hawkins Sr., told me in an interview on Between The Eers.
"We just said we wanted a true opportunity. And you want everybody to succeed.
Like I’ve said, you need more than one. This is football.
We just want an opportunity, and I tell Mike you really can’t control others, so why focus on who is there? We wish everybody the best.
We’re rooting for everybody in that room because you can’t say, ‘Hey, this is a family, but then it’s only family when it’s good for you. No, you’ve got to be a family when it’s not good for you.
I didn’t bring Mike up to have hate in his heart. Love wins all the time, and it shouldn’t be a problem with competing.
I had to do it. Love it, embrace it.”
Since arriving at WVU, Hawkins has made a quick impression. He picked up the offense fast and even started helping teach it to teammates.
A lot of that comes from the film work he puts in, and it shows when he’s on the field. He processes quickly, finds windows other quarterbacks don’t see, and can layer the ball beautifully over the second level so receivers and tight ends have a chance to make the play without taking a shot.
His accuracy stands out everywhere on the field. If a defense tries to take away the deep ball, he can still pick it apart underneath, and he doesn’t just float those throws outside - he puts some velocity on them.
Then there’s the running ability, which is its own problem for defenses. Hawkins has real speed, and even Pat White believes he’s faster than White was in his playing days. That’s not the kind of praise Pat hands out casually.
The fit with Jacksonville State transfer Cam Cook could make West Virginia’s offense especially dangerous. Cook gives the Mountaineers a back who can stress defenses on the ground, while Hawkins forces opponents to account for the quarterback run game as well. That kind of pairing could give WVU one of the Big 12’s most dynamic quarterback-running back combinations and make life miserable for defenses that can’t just load the box or key on one player.
Hawkins has been preparing for this moment for years. He gave up basketball and baseball early so he could put everything into becoming the best quarterback he could be. Now the job is his, and West Virginia is moving forward with him as QB1 in 2026.
Rodriguez did not spell out the rest of the depth chart, but Scotty Fox Jr. looks like Hawkins’ backup and Max Brown appears set as the third-string quarterback. True freshman Jyron Hughley is also pushing for a larger role and could move higher than expected before the season ends.
Fox showed some promise as a true freshman last year despite a thin supporting cast, but he still has work to do. Staring down receivers and telegraphing throws remain issues, along with situational awareness. The ceiling is still there, but he has to clean things up and avoid forcing plays.
Brown gives the room a steady third option. He has been in the system for a year and has enough experience to be a useful insurance policy, though if he has to play because of injury, Rodriguez would likely lean more on his athleticism than his arm, which has been inconsistent throughout his career.
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For Rodriguez, though, the bigger question is whether this rebuilt offense can take the pressure off a schedule that will demand immediate answers in Big 12 play. West Virginia needs more than a fresh face under center and a few portal additions if it wants to improve on last season and get back to bowl eligibility, and the first few weeks should tell a lot about how quickly the pieces are coming together. [Read more 🡒]