Why Oklahoma Needs to Bring Former In-State Star Home After Breakout Season

One of the nation’s breakout stars in 2025 hails from Oklahoma — but he played his first year of college football elsewhere.

Caleb Hawkins, a native of Shawnee, OK, finished his true freshman campaign at North Texas with 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns on 230 carries. He also caught 32 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns.

Hawkins’ first season concluded on Saturday, as the Mean Green beat San Diego State 49-47 in the New Mexico Bowl. He rushed 30 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns while also catching three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown.

Just hours after the game, On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported that Hawkins plans to enter the transfer portal, and Oklahoma seems like a logical fit to pursue the star running back.

The Sooners didn’t recruit Hawkins out of high school — but neither did any of the other 67 schools that compete at the Power Four level.

Hawkins was a 3-star prospect and the No. 10 player from Oklahoma in the Class of 2025. He rushed for 1,602 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior for North Rock Creek High School in Shawnee, averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

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Still, North Texas was the only Division I program that offered Hawkins.

And it’s evident that he ran with a chip on his shoulder during his first college football season.

Hawkins finished the year with a 91.9 Pro Football Focus (PFF) offensive grade, which ranked second among FBS running backs, trailing only Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist.

Hawkins — along with quarterback Drew Mestemaker — helped turn North Texas into a “Mean Green” scoring machine, as UNT led the nation in both scoring offense (45.1 points per game) and total offense (512.4 yards per game).

Oklahoma’s running back room appears to be in a good spot heading into 2026. First-year back Tory Blaylock earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2025, and Xavier Robinson’s size and elusiveness shined late in the season.

Still, adding a player like Hawkins with proven production and an impressive 6-2, 200-pound frame, would make the position group better.

It’s worth noting, though, that OU won’t be the only major program to take a look at Hawkins.

North Texas coach Eric Morris accepted the head coaching job at Oklahoma State in November. Because of his connection with Morris, Hawkins, Mestemaker and some of UNT’s other offensive weapons could see Stillwater as a comfortable fit.

Hawkins is also good enough that schools outside of Oklahoma and Texas will pursue him. He is already ranked the No. 4 player in On3’s transfer portal rankings, behind only Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, Penn State edge rusher Chaz Coleman and Mestemaker.

Hawkins’ portal recruitment could turn into an arms race between some of college football’s most lucrative programs. And based on his first-year success at UNT, Hawkins would likely be a worthy investment for the Sooners.