Michael Hawkins Jr. escaped the pressure from a swarm of Kent State defenders and launched a pass into the arms of redshirt junior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna.

The connection set off the sophomore quarterback’s scoring campaign en route to a 44-0 win in his first start of 2025 after redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer’s injury. The performance comes before the Sooners are set to play Texas, and it paved the way for a renewed confidence after Hawkins succumbed to a 34-3 loss to the Longhorns last year.

“He really stepped in and commanded the role,” offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “I think you saw a lot of that today — a testament to that kid, testament to his process, testament to how he has worked and how he's put himself in position to be successful.”

Hawkins threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns in his 2025 debut, and with a new support system, he feels stronger than when he recorded 148 yards and zero touchdowns versus Texas in 2024.

Mateer, Arbuckle and senior offensive analyst John Kuciyeski assist Hawkins after joining the Sooners from Washington State. They led the Cougars to the No. 6 scoring offense in the nation and are now helping Hawkins to an improved mindset.

“My process got way better with the support staff around me — coach Arbuckle and Coach Kuz and John and the other quarterbacks in the room,” Hawkins said. 

Specifically, Arbuckle has witnessed Hawkins and Mateer’s relationship flourishing off the redshirt junior giving the sophomore a multitude of tips and Mateer praising Hawkins when he sees the fruition of the process.

“Whenever you talk about the day as a whole, our morning walkthroughs, (Mateer was) just sitting there and constantly giving good little nuggets of advice whenever we're out there on the sideline,” Arbuckle said. “I think I heard (Mateer say) like 12 times today, ‘Dude, that was freaking awesome.’ … That affirmation goes so far for a kid's confidence and his ability to keep on playing.”

Hawkins stated that Mateer has played a pivotal role in his development with the sophomore asking many questions and absorbing knowledge. 

“Our relationship is really good, and he's a mentor towards me, “ Hawkins said. “I look up to him a lot when I have questions, so he's definitely a great guy to have in your room.”

Through Kuciyeski’s mentorship of Hawkins, the sophomore quarterback has clicked with the offensive analyst’s knowledge. Kuciyeski contributed to Mateer ranking top 10 in yards per pass in 2024 and previously coached 2025 No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cameron Ward as well. He applies his experience of coaching those two to Hawkins.

“I love his mind; he's a genius when it comes to quarterbacks,” Hawkins said.  “He knows a lot about a lot of positions on offense, but just his detail in the room is really good. … It's a great feeling having someone like that.”

Now, Hawkins is set to face Texas, which is coming off a 29-21 loss to Florida, the No. 113 total offense, and is ready to showcase his maturity since the 2024 matchup. 

“To the things that happened last year with him, he got some of those jitters out of the way,” Arbuckle said. 

Regardless of Texas’ recent struggles, the game continues a rivalry that consistently has the eyes of the nation with 92,300 in attendance last year. As the weight of the matchup proves strong, the Sooners feel confident in their ability to perform well if Hawkins starts in place of Mateer again.

“I believe in Mike Hawkins,” Arbuckle said. “I have a lot of confidence in Mike Hawkins. … Whether John's available or not, whether we play with Mike or whoever we play with, I got a lot of confidence.”

The question remains who will be the Sooners’ quarterback against Texas, and Venables stated that it is looking unlikely for it to be Mateer despite earlier reports that he would “push the limits.” Either way, the Sooners are holding firm to their belief in Hawkins. 

“I’m assuming (Mateer) can't (play),” head coach Brent Venables said. “(Hawkins) experienced playing there last year, and my mindset is no different than it was going into today. …  I feel great about Mike.”

This story was edited by Laurie Jones.

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