WVU QB Mike Hawkins Jr. Is Deserving of Being in the Heisman Trophy Conversation

At last, West Virginia has a superstar talent at the quarterback position. It's been nearly a decade since the last one rolled through (Will Grier), and things are looking extremely bright in Morgantown with Mike Hawkins Jr. operating the offense.

Hawkins has been phenomenal all season long, but in Saturday's 45-42 win over Cincinnati, Hawkins put his passing ability on full display, connecting on 25-of-33 attempts for 464 yards and three scores. He also rushed for 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 26 carries.

Everyone knows just how dangerous he is running the football, but he can sling it around too; he just hasn't really had the opportunity to show that until this weekend. So yeah, the guy that some thought was just an athlete playing quarterback just posted the fifth-highest passing total for a single game in program history.

I'm not the only one who has said this, but if WVU could field just a bad defense and not one that is one of the worst in the country, they would likely be 5-2 and maybe, just maybe, 6-1 at this point, which would have Hawkins squarely in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy. Now, yes, winning games is more important than a trophy, but it just goes to show how electric he has been in his first seven starts as a Mountaineer. Hawkins is deserving of being discussed as a Heisman candidate, but needs a lot of help from his defense in the final five games for it to be a real thing.

Heck, even after his performance against the Bearcats on Saturday, the Heisman Trophy X account showed him some love.

Hawkins has more rushing yards (749) than any other quarterback in the country and has more rushing touchdowns (14) than any other player in the country. You read that correctly. More than any running back. Florida's Jadan Baugh and Army QB Cale Hellums are tied for second-most with 13. Hawkins is the only quarterback in the country to have thrown for 1,500 yards and rushed for 700. The only other QB who has hit 1,500 yards passing and 500 rushing is Jacksonville State's Caden Creel.

Unless the Mountaineers miraculously find enough fixes on defense and can reach eight or nine wins, Hawkins will almost certainly be out of the Heisman conversation this year. That's projecting forward, though. As things stand today, there's still a chance, albeit a long shot, that WVU can rip off a bunch of wins. So right now, he should at least be getting some recognition even if it doesn't really materialize.

If they can play well down the stretch and get to a bowl game, it's going to have everyone's attention heading into the 2027 season, assuming Hawkins agrees to a new deal with WVU.