What Should WVU Football Fans Expect from Michael and Maliek Hawkins?

With Michael Hawkins and his border, Maliek, headed to West Virginia, we asked someone who covered them both directly at Oklahoma what WVU football fans should expect from the new Mountaineers.

John Hoover, who has previously helped contribute to West Virginia Sports Now coverage and covers Oklahoma on Sooners on SI, had these comments to share.

On quarterback Michael Hawkins:

“Michael came out of high school a very intriguing prospect — super athletic, big arm, accurate. But what stood out the most was he was always very poised and mature — on the field, interacting with fans or in the media. Everything he said or did always seemed intentional, well thought out and confident for someone so young. Nothing seemed to really rattle him. I always thought that will serve him well as a big-time college quarterback,” said Hoover.

Hoover continued with more backstory.

“His dad played DB for a short stint at OU under Bob Stoops (Brent Venables was the d-coordinator), and you can absolutely see the athletic gene passed down to the boys. Michael in particular showed his abilities in 2024, when he took over the starting job from Jackson Arnold and locked down OU’s first SEC win with a 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter then rallied from behind with a 60-yard bomb late in the fourth quarter to set up a TD. OU then scored on a pick-six, and it was Hawkins who helicoptered into the end zone on a 2-point conversion run. Really impressive stuff for a true freshman.

But then Texas knocked him around pretty good, and South Carolina really took him apart in Norman with three takeaways in the first quarter — two of which were defensive touchdowns — and he didn’t start again until Jackson Arnold opted out of the Armed Forces Bowl, which OU lost 21-20 to Navy (Hawkins threw a long TD early as OU led 14-0, but Navy came back and he was sacked on the game-winning 2-pointer at the end).”

Hoover also added that he believes Hawkins can be an elite-level starter if he’s in the right system.

“I think Hawkins can be an elite-level FBS starter if he gets some real coaching and a lot of reps as the No. 1 guy. He didn’t get much of either in 2024, then decided early in 2025 that he wanted to redshirt, so he didn’t get many reps this season either.”

On defensive back Maliek Hawkins:

“We didn’t get to see much of Maliek since he was just a freshman. As a recruit, he was sticky in coverage, seemed to enjoy contact and was athletic, fast and explosive like you’d expect. I thought he was going to have a nice career in Norman.”

More background info: 

In two seasons with the Sooners, the 6-foot-1, 196-pound Michael Hawkins completed a total of 91-of-147 passes for 950 yards with six touchdown passes to two interceptions. He added 262 yards and a touchdown on the ground

A four-star recruit from the 2024 class, Hawkins drew offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Memphis, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina State, North Texas, Penn State, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and a several others out of high school.

Maliek Hawkins, 6-foot, 189-pounds, spent one season with Oklahoma. He appeared in just one game.

Prior to his college career, Hawkins was rated as a four-star prospect by multipole national recruiting services.

Find more coverage of the WVU Football program at WV Sports Now.