Mateer VS Manning VS Hawkins Jr
- Owen Pannell
- Oct 9
- 4 min read
By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports
With John Mateer’s status up in the air, we don’t know who will start at QB for the Sooners. Arch Manning will be going up against either John Mateer or Michael Hawkins Jr. In an unbiased view, how do these three quarterbacks stack up against each other?
Overview
John Mateer
Mateer is obviously the best QB out of these three—arguably the best in the country. However, even if he does play, he won’t be 100%. To make it interesting, I’m going to analyze him as if he’s playing at 75–80%.
Mike Hawkins Jr
MHJ started Red River last year for the Sooners, but he definitely doesn’t want to remember it. His start last week against Kent State had some flaws for sure, but he has a lot to bring to the table.
Arch Manning
The Heisman favorite entering the year, he has easily been the most disappointing player in the country. He’s going to have a really tough time against this Sooner defense—and is he even better than Mike Hawkins?
Arm Strength
Mike Hawkins Jr
Arch Manning
John Mateer
If Mateer were healthy, he would be at the top of the list. However, his injury will certainly affect this. Hawkins definitely gets more zip on the ball than Arch and can throw it just as far, if not farther.
Accuracy
John Mateer
Arch Manning
Mike Hawkins Jr
This is where Mateer thrives. Even with his hand surgery, he still has by far the best accuracy in this group. However, this is where Hawkins really struggles. Manning isn’t that much better than MHJ, though.
Decision Making
John Mateer
Mike Hawkins Jr
Arch Manning
Again, Mateer far and away outmatches these two in this category. Hawkins and Manning definitely struggle here, but Arch struggles a heck of a lot more. He has some of the worst decision-making I have literally ever seen.
Pocket Presence
John Mateer
Arch Manning
Mike Hawkins Jr
Another category where John takes the cake, but this is Hawkins’ biggest weakness, in my opinion. Many times, as soon as possible, he dips out of the pocket and blows up the whole play. Arch isn’t terrible, but he could certainly be better.
Rushing Ability
Mike Hawkins Jr
John Mateer
Arch Manning
All three of these quarterbacks are very athletic, but this is Hawkins’ strong suit. He’s a very good runner and extremely fast. I put Mateer at 2—he’s been arguably the Sooners’ best rusher this season.
Vision
John Mateer
Arch Manning
Mike Hawkins Jr
In terms of finding the open guy, Mateer isn’t even close to these guys. Manning and Hawkins both struggle with this, but I’d give the edge to Manning.
Clutch
John Mateer
Mike Hawkins Jr
Arch Manning
It was insanely close between 1 and 2—I almost gave the edge to Hawkins because of what he showed last season—but you just know Mateer will win the ballgame if it’s close. We saw a flash of it vs. Auburn, but if he plays and this one is close, we’ll really see it.
Leadership
John Mateer
Mike Hawkins Jr
Arch Manning
Mateer is the clear number one here, but it’s close between 2 and 3. Arch might be more vocal than Hawkins, but his performance on the field does not back it up. MHJ will do literally whatever he needs to do to win the game, and that’s a real leader.
Throwing Mechanics
John Mateer
Arch Manning
Mike Hawkins Jr
Mechanics-wise, Hawkins is clearly last. He’s always throwing some sidearm pass with wild footwork—but I mean, it works sometimes. Mateer has great mechanics, and Manning’s are alright.
Improv
Mike Hawkins Jr
John Mateer
Arch Manning
Mike and John are extremely close in this one, but I’m going to give the edge to Mike. His best plays are when he makes something out of an absolute disaster, which he’s done many times throughout his career. Mateer is also extremely good at it—he’s well above Manning.
Conclusion
Now, let’s rank these QBs based on where I just put them in each category. First place gets 1 point, second gets 2, and third gets 3. Lowest score wins.
John Mateer — 14
Mike Hawkins Jr — 21
Arch Manning — 25
So, based on my formula (take it with a grain of salt, but I know what I’m talking about), John Mateer is by far the best QB who could play in this game—as we all know—followed by Mike Hawkins. Both Sooner QBs being ahead of the preseason Heisman favorite is something most people did not expect going into this game. I’m very proud to say I never bought into the Arch Manning hype, and I never sold my Mike Hawkins stock.
Is MHJ actually better than Arch Manning? Will John Mateer get himself right back into the Heisman race? Is Arch Manning finally going to have a breakout game? There are many questions going into this matchup—and we’ll get the answers on Saturday.
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