Who is Michael Hawkins? All we know about Oklahoma QB who will be starting in Week 5

The Oklahoma Sooners are making a major change ahead of their Week 5 matchup against the Auburn Tigers. Coach Brent Venables announced freshman Michael Hawkins would be starting instead of Jackson Arnold.

"Mike will have his opportunity to run out there and be our guy, see where we're at, try to give us a kickstart," Venables said on his coaches show Monday, via 247Sports. "We haven't had the consistency of the chemistry that you'd like, the cohesion… . Maybe that can be a catalyst."

Ahead of Oklahoma's Week 5 matchup against Auburn, here's more on Michael Hawkins.

Who is Michael Hawkins?

Michael Hawkins is a four-star freshman quarterback from Frisco, Texas.

Hawkins was the 35th-ranked quarterback in the class of 2024 and committed to Oklahoma. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound quarterback played high school football at Allen HS before transferring to Frisco Emerson in his senior year. He grew up in McKinney, Texas.

Hawkins is the son of former Oklahoma Sooner cornerback Mike Hawkins and Annabelle. His dad played at OU for one season in 2002. In his lone season, he recorded five tackles (4 solos) with a pass deflection and returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown against UTEP.

After his lone season, he left to play in the Arena Football League for two seasons. He was then selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2005 NFL draft in the fifth round.

Michael Hawkins' brother, Maliek is a three-star recruit cornerback in the class of 2025. Maliek is projected to commit to Oklahoma to follow in his dad's and brother's footsteps.

Venables praised Michael Hawkins after Tennessee game

Hawkins replaced Arnold in the second quarter of Oklahoma's 25-15 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. Arnold, a former five-star recruit struggled as he went 7-for-16 for 54 yards and an interception.

In the game, Hawkins went 11-of-18 for 132 yards and a touchdown and added 22 rushing yards. After the game, Venables praised Hawkins for his dual-threat ability:

"He's a tremendous athlete," Venables said Saturday night. "There were several times there where we had edge pressure that we didn't block and he got outside of it. So he has some playmaking ability and he can hurt you with his legs."

Hawkins and Oklahoma are 1.5-point favorites on the road to defeat Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers are coming off a 24-14 home loss to Arkansas to fall to 2-2 on the year.