Iowa State · L 49-51
25 carries, 194 yards, 2 TD
The other 7 games average 102 yards. This one was 92 above.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
Hawkins against Oklahoma State’s best seasons, game by game
Backs who run like Hawkins, and how their seasons went
Hawkins against this year’s top backs, game by game
The road ahead: 906 yards, 113 a game, 4 regular-season games left.
“Wow Caleb Hawkins is good. Way to fight back into this.”
Oklahoma State fan, r/CFB game thread · at Iowa State, Oct 31
3 stories this week, from 3 outlets.
As of
His freshman year at North Texas was historic: 1,434 rushing yards, 25 rushing touchdowns to lead all of FBS, 32 catches for 370 yards and four more scores — 29 total touchdowns, breaking Kenneth Dixon's 2012 NCAA FBS freshman record. When his coaching staff moved to Oklahoma State, he followed, carrying a record-setting résumé into a power conference.
The forward stakes are the level-up every G5-to-P4 star faces: the production was real, but Big 12 defenses are a different proposition. His debut split the difference: 18 carries for 79 yards and six catches for 29 more — 24 touches, plenty of work as the backfield's clear headliner — but the finishing touch that defined his freshman year, the touchdowns, didn't show up, and Oklahoma State lost at Tulsa 24-10. The volume travels; whether the scoring rate does is still an open question one game in.
Play style
Hawkins is a dual-threat scorer whose game is built on finishing and versatility. Our play-by-play (from his North Texas tape) is strong across the board: an 87th-percentile rushing-touchdown rate and 92nd-percentile success rate from a back who found the end zone at a historic clip, plus an 78th-percentile explosive-run rate — he finishes AND breaks them. The receiving is no afterthought: a 89th-percentile catch rate makes him a true weapon out of the backfield. The profile is a complete, every-down back who scores from anywhere — on the ground, through the air, at the goal line. The only unknown is competition level, and that's exactly what 2026 in the Big 12 will answer.
Boom vs consistent · carry-yardage shape
Steady, not spectacular
Just 22.6% of his season rushing yards came on his 5 best carries — remarkably even — and he's stuffed on 10.2% of his carries. 17 carries for 68 yds vs Houston; 24 for 189 vs Iowa State.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Closer · Q4-with-lead carry share
Not actually a closer
59.1% of carries overall (165/279) → 45.0% of Q4-with-lead carries (27/60) — 96.3% of those in competitive (≤16-pt) games.
Counted from the play-by-play, so a carry or two can differ from the box score.
Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
12 of 14 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (85.7%).
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Share of the team's total this season.
Each line is one carry: taller means more yards, and a line pointing down lost yards. Black lines are touchdowns. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside each lane the carries are lined up shortest to longest, not placed. Of his carries with a spot in the play text: left 31, middle 110, right 25. His longest went for 75 yards.
from 3 outlets
Oklahoma State football wastes big nights from Caleb Hawkins, Justin Bowick | Report card
The Oklahoman Nov 1 · 1 outlet
from 16 outlets
Arizona Daily Star +2 Aug 14 · 3 outlets
Yahoo SportsOklahoma State football RB Caleb Hawkins more confident with added weightAug 8The OklahomanOklahoma State football RB Caleb Hawkins adds weight, confidence in 2026Aug 8
On3Oklahoma State RB Caleb Hawkins is Bigger, Faster, StrongerAug 11
RoundtableCaleb Hawkins Grew Up Watching Oklahoma State Stars—Now He Gets His Chance to Become OneAug 12Arizona Daily Star +2Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker hands off to Caleb Hawkins for a touchdown during a spring football game for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 18, 2026.Aug 14The OklahomanFor Oklahoma State football RB Caleb Hawkins, fewer carries could mean more yards in 2026Aug 12
FOX SportsCaleb Hawkins runs for 22-yard TD, giving Oklahoma State lead over West VirginiaSep 26The Oklahoman +1Oklahoma State football RB Caleb Hawkins scores high marks vs Colorado | Report cardOct 25The OklahomanOklahoma State football RB Caleb Hawkins 'welcoming challenge' vs OregonSep 8The OklahomanCaleb Hawkins breaks down Oklahoma State football win vs TulsaSep 16
KOCOCaleb Hawkins shares excitement about playing for OSU and representing Oklahoma rootsAug 16
Oklahoma State University AthleticsRapid-fire questions with Caleb HawkinsAug 23The OklahomanThe Oklahoman +1
Sports IllustratedFOX SportsThe OklahomanThe OklahomanArizona Daily Star +2Sports Illustrated +1Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Oklahoma State27 stories2026 to nowMost about: profile and feature, performance and stat line, preview and matchup.
Arizona Daily Star +2Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker hands off to Caleb Hawkins for a touchdown during a spring football game for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, April 18, 2026.Aug 14Sports Illustrated +1Caleb Hawkins Challenges Himself Entering First Year with Oklahoma StateAug 12The Oklahoman +1Oklahoma State football RB Caleb Hawkins scores high marks vs Colorado | Report cardOct 25
North Texas9 stories2025Most about: awards and watch lists, in his words, loss.
Sports Illustrated +1Most Important Oklahoma State Cowboy Not Named Drew Mestemaker or Caleb HawkinsJun 24
WBMAUAB football falls to North Texas as Caleb Hawkins sets recordNov 15
Locked OnOklahoma State's New RBU dude Caleb Hawkins, #1 RB Transfer! Ollie & Chuba 2K Style?Feb 10Locked OnOklahoma State's RBU Status Stays Alive With Caleb Hawkins now These 2027 Recruits Are next?Mar 19Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named Caleb Hawkins vs Oregon.
Aura™ · Him Watch
Aura compares how much fans talk about this player with how well this player plays, each ranked among RBs.
+21aura tax
63rd percentile our rushing-value metric (weighted expected points added) ranked among 104 RBs
— the talk ranks higher than the play.Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Oklahoma State | 167 | 906 | 5.4 | 4 | 75 |
| 2025 | North Texas | 231 | 1,424 | 6.2 | 25 | 51 |
| Career | 398 | 2,330 | 5.9 | 29 | 75 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Oklahoma State | 31 | 353 | 11.4 | 2 | 66 |
| 2025 | North Texas | 32 | 370 | 11.6 | 4 | 68 |
| Career | 63 | 723 | 11.5 | 6 | 68 |
Last game (Wk 9): 194 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 6 catches.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 10-24@ Tulsa | 18 | 79 | 4.4 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 2 | W 39-31vs No. 6 Oregon | 23 | 110 | 4.8 | 1 | 26 | |
| Wk 3 | W 59-0vs Murray State | 11 | 72 | 6.5 | 0 | 33 | |
| Wk 4 | W 41-24@ West Virginia | 31 | 180 | 5.8 | 1 | 31 | 180-yard day |
| Wk 6 | W 42-28vs UCF | 23 | 83 | 3.6 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 7 | L 32-35@ No. 20 Houston | 17 | 68 | 4.0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 8 | W 57-24vs Colorado | 19 | 120 | 6.3 | 0 | 39 | |
| Wk 9 | L 49-51@ Iowa State | 25 | 194 | 7.8 | 2 | 75 | Season-high 194 yds |
| Total | 167 | 906 | 5.4 | 4 | 75 |
Oct. 31 · L 49-51 at Iowa State, play by play
A big game: 25 carries for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns, 4th-most in FBS that week. He converted a 3rd and 1 with Oklahoma State down 48-42. He also caught 6 passes for 81 yards.
The per-play feed is missing a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter (the play drew a penalty), which the play text shows; the chart draws the 24 carries it has.
7-yard run on 3rd and 3. First quarter, down 7-0. Converted.
3-yard run on 3rd and 2. Second quarter, down 21-14. Converted.
4-yard catch on 3rd and 15. Third quarter, down 24-21.
75-yard touchdown run. Third quarter, cut it to 31-28.
19 carries for 120 yards. He also caught 5 passes for 72 yards.
Incomplete on 3rd and 6. Second quarter, down 21-17.
39-yard run. Third quarter, up 30-24.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
17 carries for 68 yards. He also caught 7 passes for 125 yards.
2-yard run on 3rd and 1. Second quarter, down 7-3. Converted.
66-yard touchdown. Fourth quarter, cut it to 28-25.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
23 carries for 83 yards.
23-yard catch. First quarter, down 7-0.
9-yard catch on 3rd and 14. First quarter, down 7-0.
3-yard run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, down 14-7. Converted.
4-yard run on 3rd and 2. Third quarter, tied 21-21. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
A big game: 31 carries for 180 yards and a touchdown, 5th-most in FBS that week. In the fourth quarter, with Oklahoma State ahead by one score, he carried 5 times for 28 yards.
3-yard run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
31-yard run. First quarter, down 7-0.
Incomplete on 3rd and 10. First quarter, down 7-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
11 carries for 72 yards. He also caught 3 passes for 16 yards.
33-yard run. Second quarter, up 21-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
23 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, with Oklahoma State ahead by one score, he carried 4 times for 10 yards. He converted a 4th and 1 with Oklahoma State up 27-24.
7-yard run on 3rd and 14. First quarter, down 7-3.
26-yard run. Second quarter, down 7-3.
2-yard catch on 3rd and 1. Second quarter, up 10-7. Converted.
6-yard run on 4th and 1. Third quarter, up 27-24. Converted.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
18 carries for 79 yards. He converted a 4th and 1 with the score tied 0-0. He also caught 6 passes for 29 yards.
12-yard run on 3rd and 1. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
7-yard catch on 3rd and 8. First quarter, tied 0-0.
3-yard run on 4th and 1. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
14-yard run. Second quarter, down 3-0.
Each carry is a stem from the line, in the lane the play text names, sorted shortest to longest. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Week 9 · 2026
L 49-51
at Iowa State
194 rush yds (25 car) · 2 TD · 6 rec · 81 yds · 1 TD
With D. Mestemaker — 323 yds · 5 TD · 1 INT · QBR 78.9 · 16 rush yds (4 car) · J. Bowick — 7 rec · 124 yds · 2 TD
The plays that mattered most
11th in rushing yards, among all 1,551 FBS players with a rushing row this season, any position
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -4 to +17 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
Success rate
51%166 carriesFumble rate
0.6%1 of 167 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer ydsGrind
1–3 ydsChunk
4–9 ydsExplosive
10+ yds5.4 yds/carry on 167 carries · 11% explosive (10+ yds) · 51% success rate.
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
4516% of team targetsCatch rate
69%31 of 45 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
69% catch rate on 45 targets · 16% of the team's targets.
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
Stuffed (≤0)
Grind (1–3)
Chunk (4–9)
Explosive (10+)
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 96.2 | 5.3 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 130 | 5.5 | 0.8 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 98.7 | 4.9 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 157 | 7.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Eric Morris
Pass share
50.9%
289 pass / 279 run
Plays / game
71.0
8 games
Team sack rate
2.8%
317 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2025
First team in his league at the position.
The No. 2,032 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Big 12 as a sophomore.
2026 is in progress.
Honored in a first season.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM
All-AAC 1st team (2025)
Weekly recognition
3 weekly honors (2025)
AAC Offensive Player of the Week
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Oklahoma State
