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Oklahoma's Secondary Takes Another Hit With Young DB Choosing the Portal

The Sooners' defensive secondary is a tad thinner as the transfer portal begins to open on Friday.
Brady Trantham|
Oklahoma defensive back Maliek Hawkins
Oklahoma defensive back Maliek Hawkins | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

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The Oklahoma Sooners have already lost two defensive backs to the transfer portal, per reports.

Now, they wave goodbye to Maliek Hawkins, a true freshmen defensive back who joined the program with the 2025 recruiting class. The news comes on the heels of his older brother, backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who is reportedly entering the transfer portal when it opens on Friday.

Maliek Hawkins made the annoucement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday.

The 6-0 Dallas native came to Oklahoma with some promise. He was a four-star recruit according to Rivals and a three-star recruit per 247Sports and ESPN. He garnered offers from other schools like Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi State.

The Hawkins brothers are the children to Michael Hawkins Sr., who played with the Sooners during his lone true freshman season in 2002. Hawkins Sr. left the program to pursue professional football aspirations following his only year of college play. He landed in the NFL from 2005-2009, playing with various teams in reserve roles.

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Per reports, the Sooners have now lost defensive backs Devon Jordan and Marcus Wimberly in the last week. Kendel Dolby was reported to have shared his desire to enter the transfer portal prior to Oklahoma's College Football Playoff matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 19.

These moves aren't surprising considering the OU appears set at corner with Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory entrenched as starters.

Dolby started in one game and appeared in three others before shutting his season down. His career was derailed by a season-ending injury suffered during the loss to Tennessee in 2024 and never looked the same in 2025.

Jordan appears to be the loss that could sting Oklahoma's depth. He appeared in in 13 games in 2025 and slowly became a more consistent role player in the Sooners' secondary rotations. His sack of Ty Simpson in Oklahoma's win over Alabama in the regular season stands out.

For Maliek Hawkins, the freshman only appeared in one game — Kent State — and will have four more years of eligibility left. It is unclear if the Hawkins brothers will remain together as they find their next destination.

The portal opens on Friday and closes on Jan. 16.

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Brady Trantham
BRADY TRANTHAM

Brady Trantham covered the Oklahoma City Thunder as the lead Thunder Insider from 2018 until 2021 for 107.7 The Franchise. During that time, Trantham also helped the station as a fill-in guest personality and co-hosted Oklahoma Sooner postgame shows. Trantham also covered the Thunder for the Norman Transcript and The Oklahoman on a freelance basis. He received his BA in history from the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and a BS in Sports Casting from Full Sail University in 2023. Trantham also founded and hosts the “Through the Keyhole” podcast, covering Oklahoma Sooners football. He was born in Oklahoma and raised as an Air Force brat all over the world before returning to Norman and setting down roots there.

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