The Oklahoma Sooners had a not-so-warm welcome to the SEC last weekend, taking a 25-15 home loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sooners’ first-ever SEC game.
Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold struggled in the contest, going 7-for-16 for 54 yards and an interception before being benched for freshman Michael Hawkins.
The poor performance continued an alarming season-long trend for Arnold as his stats fell to 61-for-102 for 538 yards, seven passing touchdowns (four of which came in Oklahoma’s season-opening rout of the Temple Owls) and three interceptions.
Head coach Brent Venables made the quarterback switch shortly before the half, and Hawkins fared better, going 11-for-18 for 132 yards and a touchdown pass.
Monday night, Venables made it official: Hawkins would be the new starting quarterback for the Sooners, and Arnold would remain benched.
Oklahoma has a new starting quarterback. Brent Venables announced that Michael Hawkins will start at Auburn this week. He’s a highly-regarded freshman from Dallas.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 24, 2024
As ESPN’s Pete Thamel notes, Hawkins is from Dallas and is the son of former Oklahoma cornerback Michael Hawkins Sr., who played for the Sooners in 2002 and played 18 games in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns.
Hawkins Jr.’s first career start will come against a reeling Auburn Tigers team with quarterback woes.
Oklahoma has a bye after playing Auburn, then will return to action on October 12 for the Red River Rivalry against the Texas Longhorns. If Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers hasn’t recovered from his strained oblique by then, both Oklahoma and Texas will start freshmen quarterbacks in the game, as Arch Manning has been filling in for Ewers.
