Phil Steele Thinks WVU Hit a Home Run With Michael Hawkins Jr.

It didn't take long for Mike Hawkins Jr. to win over West Virginia fans, and really, the college football world in his first true opportunity as a starting quarterback. He has been putting up big numbers week after week on the ground and connecting on explosive plays through the air.

No one in college football throws a larger percentage of their pass attempts 20+ yards down the field than Hawkins, which contributes to his 52% completion percentage. When you throw it that deep that often, you're naturally going to have a lower completion rate. His opposition today, Cincinnati QB JC French IV, is completing nearly 70% of passes but has the lowest average depth of target in the country (5.0 ypa).

Hwakins comes into the week tied with Florida running back Jadan Baugh for the most rushing touchdowns in the country (12) and leads the nation in rushing by quarterbacks (672 yards). On Friday's episode of the In the Gun Podcast, I asked college football expert Phil Steele about his thoughts on Hawkins, and he had a lot of praise for the redshirt sophomore.

“What a tremendous pickup and what a great fit. I think that’s what you really need with a Rich Rod offense is somebody that fits the offense and Michael Hawkins does exactly that. Maybe he wasn’t the perfect fit for the Oklahoma offense, but I think right now Sooner fans would probably like to have him there. I think one of the advantages of the deep pass and hitting it is when you’ve got the great run game, as mentioned, teams are going to have to bring that safety in and now, all of a sudden, you’ve got 1-on-1 coverage down the field. You hit the pass, you’re going to get the big play, and Hawkins has been really good at that. Super impressed with him this year. I thought he would have a good year, but he’s actually gone over my expectations so far. I think he’s just the perfect fit for the Rich Rod offense.”

Sure, Hawkins does need to hit on a few more of those downfield throws, but he will become more consistent in doing so as the season moves along. The coaching staff thought before the season that they had the best QB in the Big 12, and I think it's safe to say that he's at least a top-three quarterback in the league right now.

Watch the full episode here

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