Rich Rod Says QB Mike Hawkins Jr. is 'Everything We Thought and Then Some'

West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez has not publicly named a starting quarterback, but if you know how he operates, he doesn't see any reason to just run to the media and let the whole world know when he knows who the guy is. And that's at any position, for that matter.

All spring long, he has told us in press conference settings that he has been extremely pleased with how far along Oklahoma transfer Mike Hawkins Jr. has come in just a short amount of time in terms of picking up the offense and how he carries himself like a pro in every regard, especially when it comes to the film room.

Earlier this week, Pete Thamel of ESPN published a Q&A he did with Rodriguez, and one of the questions was about the quarterback position and what to expect there.

"He's a talented freshman that got some really good experience, and we are really excited for him," Rodriguez said about Fox. "But we wanted somebody that could compete with Scotty. And we were thinking about taking two transfers because we lost three in the portal. But we got Mike Hawkins [from Oklahoma], and I had seen him play a little bit, and there was some body of work to judge him on, but also kind of thinking, I think this guy, he's got an edge to him, wanting to prove himself kind of deal. And he's got all the skill set that we need. And so he came here, and then he's been everything we thought and then some. And then Scotty's [played well], so the competition between both of those guys has elevated ... to the point where I feel we've got two guys right now that I would jump out there to be a starting quarterback and be good with."

Scotty Fox Jr. is a talented quarterback, as we saw last season when he was a true freshman in a less-than-ideal situation. That being said, there is still a lot of room for him to grow, and one day, I do expect him to be a full-time Power Four starting quarterback. Whether that's at West Virginia or not remains to be seen.

Hawkins did some things that really turned heads in the 15 practices he had in the spring, and he has the full trust of the coaching staff to not only be the guy, but to be a true difference-maker — something the Mountaineers haven't had at the position in a long time (with the exception of Garrett Greene's 2023 season).

Hawkins had opportunities to go just about anywhere when he entered the transfer portal, including other teams in the SEC. But once he left his trip to Morgantown, he knew that's where he wanted to be and made that the only place he visited.

There's a trust factor as well, having guys like defensive coordinator Zac Alley, nickel/sams coach Henry Weinreich, and GM Chuck Lillie on staff who saw Hawkins every day in practice at Oklahoma. They know what he's capable of, and those relationships certainly played a big factor in WVU targeting him as their top QB option in the portal.

Hawkins is prepared to win now.

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