Oklahoma backup quarterback Michael Hawkins has reportedly signed with WVU. (AP Photo)

West Virginia might’ve signed its quarterback of the future.

Oklahoma backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has reportedly signed with the Mountaineers after two years with the Sooners, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He’s also coming to Morgantown with his brother, Maliek Hawkins, as a package deal. Maliek plays corner.

Hawkins played in limited action in his two years and saw more time in 2024. In 2024, Hawkins played in seven games, mostly in garbage time. Hawkins played in the full bowl game against Navy in 2024. He threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns. In seven games, Hawkins went for 783 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. He also rushed for 204 yards and a score.

The only issue with Hawkins is that he takes quite a lot of sacks. In 2024, he took 15 sacks in his limited time on the field.

In 2025, Hawkins saw action in two games against Temple and Kent State. He threw for 167 yards and had four total touchdowns.

Hawkins fits the mold of a Rich Rodriguez quarterback. He’s a dual-threat guy who has a lot of speed. Hawkins can make players miss, and he isn’t terrible at pushing the ball down the field. He was a 4-star recruit out of high school and a 3-star in the portal, ranking at QB No. 42, according to 247Sports.

Rodriguez said he was going to add an experienced quarterback in the portal, but not as many as last year.

“We will probably still look at one for the portal,” Rodriguez said. “Get an experienced guy because of what we went through this year.”

Rodriguez only wanted a transfer quarterback, so if there were multiple injuries, WVU could lean on a player to still win games for them. But this addition puts into question the status of WVU’s QB room for next year.

True freshman Scotty Fox Jr. started the last couple of games of the season and won two games. He ran the offense the best out of all five quarterbacks in 2025.

Fox didn’t play too hot against Texas Tech, but that defense was College Football Playoff worthy, and the offensive line didn’t help. With all the great QBs in the portal, there were questions about whether WVU would add a talented QB.

Hawkins isn’t one of those high-caliber quarterbacks, but he’ll be a junior in 2026, which will be a year older than Fox. Rodriguez never said Fox was the starter going forward, but he never said he wasn’t. This move puts into question whether there’ll be a quarterback battle in 2026.

The quarterback competition in 2025 lasted through the spring, the summer, and even throughout the season. One of WVU’s issues in 2025 was the revolving door at quarterback, so maybe another competition isn’t the best.

Rodriguez has always said he doesn’t play favorites, and it doesn’t matter who you are; if you’re good enough to help WVU win games, you’re going to play.

Maliek Hawkins was a 3-star recruit out of high school. He didn’t see any action in 2025, but he should add some depth in the secondary. The secondary lost a lot of key players from graduation this offseason. Maliek has four years of eligibility left.