What Michael Hawkins Jr.’s Departure Could Mean for Oklahoma’s QB Room

With Michael Hawkins Jr. on his way out of Norman, the depth chart at quarterback will look different for the Sooners next year.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The No. 2 spot at quarterback on OU’s depth chart will list a different name in 2026.

Michael Hawkins Jr., the Sooners’ backup quarterback in 2025, announced on Wednesday that he plans to enter the transfer portal. Hawkins played seven games as a true freshman in 2024 before appearing in two contests as a sophomore.

With Hawkins on his way out, how do things change in Oklahoma’s quarterback room?

Hawkins’ portal announcement could signal that John Mateer will return in 2025. Mateer, of course, has the options to declare for the NFL Draft or explore options in the transfer portal, but his draft stock took a significant hit in the back half of the season.

Barring an unforeseen draft or portal entry, Mateer will be back as the starting quarterback in 2026.

Mateer’s first season in Norman was riddled with high highs and low lows.

The quarterback led OU to a 4-0 start before he underwent surgery on his right hand in late September. Before the surgery, Mateer had logged 1,215 passing yards, 11 total touchdowns and three interceptions.

Mateer missed only one game because of his injury and returned for Oklahoma’s Red River Rivalry game against Texas. The quarterback, though, struggled upon returning. After his stellar start, Mateer completed just 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in the Sooners’ final eight games.

Though inconsistency plagued Mateer late in the season, he showed flashes of his early-season self in the Sooners’ last few games, including throwing two touchdown passes in the College Football Playoff First Round game against Alabama.

The starting job is Mateer’s if he wants it. Where things really shake up, of course, is the second-string spot.

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Bowe Bentley, a consensus 4-star quarterback in the Class of 2026, will be a true freshman this year, and he very well could be the first man off the bench.

Bentley logged more than 4,200 total yards of offense and won a state title as a junior at Celina High School in Texas. Rivals ranked Bentley as the No. 70 overall prospect in the 2026 class.

On one hand, Bentley won’t have nearly as much experience as Hawkins had. Hawkins started four games in 2024 and led the Sooners to a road win against Auburn.

But Bentley’s ceiling in Norman is higher. Between Bentley’s high school accolades and Mateer having just one year of eligibility remaining, the incoming freshman is largely viewed as the quarterback of the future. 

Whitt Newbauer will also presumably compete for the No. 2 spot.

Newbauer, who transferred to OU from Mercer before the 2025 season, appeared in the Sooners’ games against Kent State, South Carolina and Ole Miss. He finished the season with six passing yards on two completions.

Further down the depth chart is Jett Niu, who was a true freshman in 2025. His only appearance this season came in the final seconds of OU’s 44-0 win over Kent State.

Assuming Mateer, Newbauer and Niu remain at Oklahoma, there will be a mix of experience in the quarterback room.

Between Mateer’s incoming redshirt senior status, Bentley’s youth and Newbauer and Niu both fresh off their first years at OU, there will be a blend of experience next year, and it could set the foundation for the quarterback room for years to come.