Paul Finebaum isn’t ready to fully buy into West Virginia quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. just yet, even with the buzz building around Rich Rodriguez’s program.
That skepticism came through when Finebaum was asked by a Mountaineer fan a few days ago about Rodriguez, Hawkins and WVU heading into 2026. Finebaum made it clear he likes the hire, but he’s still trying to figure out what Hawkins really is.
“I’m a big fan of Rich Rod," he said. "I thought it was a smart decision to go back to him.
He had done a fantastic job in his other stops, and I think he will infuse a lot. Michael Hawkins is a little hard for me to get a handle on.
What I saw of him last year was not overly impressive, but it was under duress against SEC defenses.”
That last part matters. The season Finebaum was really pointing to was Hawkins’ 2024 run at Oklahoma, when the true freshman was tossed into a brutal situation after Jackson Arnold struggled. The Sooners’ offensive line was a mess, the receiver room was hit hard by injuries, and Oklahoma was leaning on a pile of young players.
The numbers show just how rough that environment was. Oklahoma’s 2024 offensive line gave up 152 pressures on 495 dropbacks, a 30.7% pressure rate. For comparison, West Virginia’s 2025 line allowed 91 pressures on 381 dropbacks, which came out to 23.8%.
In other words, Hawkins and Arnold were spending plenty of snaps under fire.
Even so, Hawkins held up reasonably well for a first-year quarterback in the SEC. In four games, with three starts, he completed 43 of 68 passes for 459 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. One of those picks came when the protection collapsed and he was hit as he let the ball go.
Inside the WVU building, though, there’s no hesitation about him. The staff believes in him, and that belief is part of why the program has a different feel around it right now.
Oklahoma clearly valued him too. The Sooners tried hard to keep him in Norman as a backup for another year before eventually turning the offense over to him. He also drew interest from other SEC schools in the portal, including LSU, before they landed on former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Hawkins is walking into a much better setup at West Virginia than the one he had at Oklahoma in 2024. The offensive line should be a major upgrade, and while there are still questions at wide receiver, the talent around him looks stronger overall.
In Other News...
Former Arizona Guard Kerr Kriisa Is Suddenly Facing Serious Trouble
Kerr Kriisas off-court troubles have taken a serious turn after federal agents arrested the former college guard in Lexington, Kentucky, and sent him to West Virginia to face wire fraud charges. For Mountaineers fans, the name still carries some familiarity from his time in Morgantown in 2023-24, but the story now centers on a much more troubling legal fight than anything that happened on the court.
Authorities say the case involves a fraud scheme stretching back to 2022 and totaling $2.2 million, with Kriisa accused of using false pretenses to obtain money over a four-year period. He is preparing to appear in court in West Virginia, where the allegations have put his basketball past in the shadow of a federal case that is only beginning to work its way through the system. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Just Set A 2026 Home Date Fans Will Never Forget
West Virginias 2026 home slate at Milan Puskar Stadium already has the kind of built-in pageantry that makes the fall calendar feel bigger than just a football schedule. The athletics marketing department has rolled out a promotional lineup that mixes signature game-day traditions with special events, from Gold Rush and Coal Rush to group ticket packages and the Big 12 Fall Tour, giving fans a first look at how the Mountaineers plan to turn several Saturdays into full-scale campus moments.
The most attention-grabbing date on the list is Sept. 5, when the program will stage a jersey retirement ceremony tied to one of its most iconic numbers, with fans also being asked to dress in white for the first time since that players final home game in 2008. Later in the season, the home opener in conference play will bring back Gold Rush, while the Oct. 10 matchup with Arizona is set for Coal Rush and will also serve as a showcase for the newest WVU Sports Hall of Fame class before they are honored in the stadium. [Read more 🡒]