West Virginia has its starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
Hawkins won the competition over Scotty Fox Jr. and Max Brown. Read more: Michael Hawkins expected to be West Virginia’s starting quarterback.
Fox played in nine games as a true freshman last season and ended up starting the final six games of the season for West Virginia. He was one of the returning options at quarterback heading into the 2026 season.
Hawkins now appears to have won the job after transferring to Morgantown from Oklahoma.
Experience at Oklahoma
In two seasons at Oklahoma, Hawkins appeared in nine games and completed 91 of 147 passes for 950 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.
He added another 262 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
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His best stretch came in 2024, when he started four games for the Sooners. He also started against Texas last season with John Mateer sidelined.
That experience will now carry over to West Virginia, where Hawkins is expected to take over as the starter.
Rodriguez kept the competition open
West Virginia went through four quarterbacks during Rodriguez’s first season back in Morgantown, making the position one of the biggest questions heading into the offseason.
Hawkins joined Fox and Brown in the competition for the starting job, but Rodriguez made it clear throughout the offseason that he did not want the quarterbacks worrying about who would eventually win it.
“I wanted them to concentrate on just being the best quarterback they could be, not worrying about who’s going to be the guy,” Rodriguez said. “Now I may know now, you know, I probably do, but I don’t see any need to have to tell them.”
It appears Rodriguez now has his answer.
Hawkins is now set to make his West Virginia debut as the Mountaineers open the 2026 season against Coastal Carolina on September 5 in Morgantown.
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For Hawkins, it will be a chance to take the experience he gained at Oklahoma and turn it into a full season as a starter with the Mountaineers.
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