Some West Virginia fans have the wrong perspective on Mike Hawkins Jr.'s success

After Mike Hawkins Jr. haslooked like one of the best quarterbacks in the nationthrough three weeks of the season, some West Virginia fans are already starting to worry about what comes next. We've all seen these stories play out in the portal era after all – a down-on-his-luck player finds massive success at mid-tier Power 4 school, and immediately bolts for a blue blood offering a big pay day.

It's not the entire fan base, but a few fans on social media have expressed their concerns that this will all end with Hawkins Jr. having an incredible season in West Virginia before ending up with a bigger brand in 2027. At least one other media outlet covering WVU sports have echoed that concern, and one fan wrote into the Brandon Walker College Football Show this week expressing the same worries.

West Virginia fans need to value Mike Hawkins Jr. while he's still in Morgantown

We're not here to speculate on whether or not Hawkins Jr. might be one of the players Rich Rodriguez has mentoioned is on a two-year deal, or whether any top brands are already interested in poaching hiom next year. No legitimate sources seem to indicate that's the case yet, either.

But when Brandon Walkerwas posed with the dilemma on his showby a West Virginia fan that the online discourse is currently about where Hawkins Jr. will play next year.

"Here's the thing, and I've been thinking about this a lot. Having a quarterback that the entire world is hot after and talking about transferring to Miami (FL) or Ohio State, is way f****** better than the alternative," Walker said. "Having a great quarterback is half the battle in college football, and if I have that battle licked right now I'll worry about the rest later."

Walker makes an excellent point, and it's one that fans who are spending the week moping over where Hawkins Jr. might play next year instead of celebrating the resurgence he has helped engineer for West Virginia should consider.

The Mountaineers have spent a lot of time looking like an average or sub-par college football team, and that is something that appears it could be changing, as they are on the verge of being ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2018.

That's something special, and it's something that hasn't happened for West Virginia in a long time. That doesn't happen without Hawkins Jr. garnering this attention in the first place. Yes, it sucks to hear the online discourse immediately shift to where your quarterback might play next season. But it also means things look pretty damn bright for the rest of the current season.

So maybe concerning yourself about whether Hawkins Jr. will be back next season is the wrong perspective, and fans would be better off turning their attention toward the incredible things that he's making happen for the Mountaineers in 2026.

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