West Virginia’s Mike Hawkins Jr. has gone from an overlooked name to one of the most eye-catching quarterbacks in the Power Four, and the rise has been swift.
Before the season, Hawkins was sitting well off the national radar. He had the pedigree - a big-time recruit out of high school and a quarterback who saw action in SEC games as a true freshman - but not much buzz about becoming one of the country’s top passers this early in the year.
That picture has changed fast. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked Hawkins 50th out of 68 Power Four quarterbacks in the spring.
Now Connelly has him all the way up at No. 17.
“On paper, the dual-threat Hawkins playing in a Rich Rodriguez offense seemed pretty perfect. It has played out that way on the field, too.
He's averaging only 16.5 dropbacks per game but is throwing efficiently and running beautifully. He has gained at least 96 non-sack rushing yards in every game and topped 120 twice.
Defense is a concern, but the WVU offense has come around nicely with the right guy behind center.”
The group of quarterbacks ahead of him includes Darian Mensah (Miami), CJ Carr (Notre Dame), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State), Jayden Maiava (USC), Keelon Russell (Alabama), Gunner Stockton (Georgia), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville), Kevin Jennings (SMU), Aaron Philo (Florida), Conner Weigman (Houston), Devon Dampier (Utah), Bear Bachmeier (BYU), and Katin Houser (Illinois).
Hawkins has not been asked to carry a huge passing load through the first four games, but when he’s thrown the ball, he’s been sharp. His only interception this season came on a play in which the Oklahoma State defensive lineman beat his block and got a hand up to tip the ball into the air. Even then, the read was the right one, because without that deflection, DJ Epps would have been wide open for a touchdown that would have pushed West Virginia ahead 21-6.
Before the Oklahoma State matchup, Hawkins was leading the nation in big-time throw percentage at 17% and also topped all quarterbacks in yards per completion at 18.3. If Rich Rodriguez opens things up and lets him air it out more, the offense could become even tougher to defend.
Hawkins is also doing plenty of damage with his legs, averaging 22 carries per game against FBS opponents. That kind of workload gives West Virginia a real edge, but it also puts pressure on Rodriguez to manage it carefully so Hawkins stays healthy. The message is clear: this offense goes as far as Hawkins can take it, and West Virginia won’t reach its ceiling without him.
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