Followed up with Maliek Hawkins tonight. He spent a lot of time with Jay Valai and Brent Venables yesterday, and there appears to be a new dynamic coming into the picture as the Sooners pursue the three-star corner. OU is selling him on the potential of shifting inside to nickel, a concept that Hawkins has embraced eagerly. The Sooners obviously used a lot of Peyton Bowen and Kendel Dolby at that position in 2023, especially down the stretch in the season's latter half. Although they're by no means trying to move him away from playing outside corner entirely, OU believes Hawkins has the physique, the mentality and the versatility to add value in the nickel.
The other angle to this is that should he commit, Oklahoma will have an easier time recruiting other corner prospects thereafter if they can truthfully tell those prospects that Hawkins projects to the nickel.
Hawkins' family would obviously prefer him at OU, but Steve Sarkisian continues to personally prioritize the Frisco Emerson defensive back on behalf of the Longhorns. And in sincerity, I'll tell y'all that the love from Sarkisian has prevented the Sooners from running away from the pack here. Many will recall that when Maliek's older brother Michael was in the final weeks of his recruitment, TCU stepped up and mounted a legitimate challenge to Oklahoma. Texas is Maliek's TCU, as it were. Naturally, it's a hard sell to convince a kid to play against his brother on the opposite side of the Red River Rivalry. But the Horns are giving Maliek a lot to think about. They're not going down quietly in Maliek's recruitment, and I am of the opinion that the decision ultimately comes down to those two programs. Maliek himself acknowledged to me that he's gone back and forth quite a bit.
