How Oklahoma State's Caleb Hawkins Compares to Other Walter Camp Preseason All-Americans

Oklahoma State running back Caleb Hawkins is one of four running backs on the preseason Walter Camp All-America team.

Oklahoma State's Caleb Hawkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a talented player in sophomore running back Caleb Hawkins. In fact, head coach Eric Morris knows that all too well.

Last year Hawkins starred for Morris at North Texas as a true freshman, as he set records for most touchdowns by a true freshman in an FBS season and was one of the top rushers in the country.

It was only natural that the Owasso, Okla., native follow his head coach to Oklahoma State, a move that puts him closer to home and gives him an opportunity to prove himself on a bigger stage.

But, the spotlight shines on Hawkins this preseason. Recently, he was named to the second team of the Walter Camp all-America team, one of the most prestigious awards in the country. He stood a good chance of making the preseason team as he was selected to the second team after last season. But how does he compare to the other three backs on the preseason team? Let’s find out.

Comparing Caleb Hawkins to Other Walter Camp Backs

North Texas Mean Green running back Caleb Hawkins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Two SEC backs were named to the preseason first team — Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy, the latter of which was a first-team selection last year. The two second-team picks were from the Big 12 ­— Hawkins and West Virginia’s Cam Cook. Like Hawkins, Cook is a transfer as he played at Jax State last year. They’ll face each other on Sept. 26 in Morgantown.

So how do they compare from last year? Let’s start with rushing.

Player	Carries	Yards	YPC	TD
Caleb Hawkins	231	1,434	6.2	25
Kewan Lacy	306	1,567	5.1	24
Ahmad Hardy	256	1,351	6.4	16
Cam Cook	295	1,659	5.6	16

Hawkins was the most efficient of the four backs, based on his number of carries. Hardy did have a higher per-carry average but had 25 more carries and nearly 100 fewer yards. Hawkins had the most touchdowns, but Lacy was right behind him. He also had a higher workload and extra games as Ole Miss went deep in the College Football Playoff.

What about receiving?

Player	Receptions	Yards	YPC	Touchdowns
Caleb Hawkins	32	370	11.6	4
Kewan Lacy	27	177	6.1	0
Ahmad Hardy	6	22	3.7	0
Cam Cook	30	286	9.5	0

This is where Hawkins really added value. His ability to catch passes out of the backfield in the Air offense — and his ability to score — is why Cowboys fans are going to see him as an all-purpose back on a lot of preseason all-America and all-Big 12 teams. Cook should get the same treatment. Lacy was solid in this area, too. He and Cook just did hit the end zone the way Hawkins did.

Judging what a player will do in 2026 based on 2025 numbers is in many ways a foolish endeavor. But what Hawkins did when compared to the other Walter Camp selections shows that he deserves the preseason attention he'll get. He'll just have to prove it again in 2026 against what will surely be tougher defenses than he faced in the American Conference last season.