QB switcheroo: Buffs coach hints son might still get some time under center after benching

Coach Hawkins: son Cody Hawkins will still play

BOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins is hinting his son, quarterback Cody Hawkins, might still get some playing time after being benched in favor of sophomore Tyler Hansen.

Hansen burned his redshirt at midseason for the second straight year when he replaced a mistake-prone Cody Hawkins during the Buffaloes’ 38-14 loss to Texas on Saturday. Afterward, offensive coordinator Eric Kiesau insisted Hansen was the permanent starter.

Last year, Hansen and Hawkins split quarterback duties after Hansen gave up his redshirt year. And Dan Hawkins indicated Tuesday that might be the case again.

He suggested his son was “still going to have a role and I think there’s a very good chance that you’ll see both of them.”

The Buffaloes (1-4, 0-1 Big 12) host No. 17 Kansas (5-0, 1-0) Saturday night.

Meeting with reporters after his weekly news conference, Dan Hawkins lent little clarity to the situation, saying: “We’re going with Tyler, but you never know. You don’t know.”

Pressed, the coach said: “Again, if we’re trying to get this down to a legal document, maybe I should say he could play. He might play. I don’t know. I don’t know.”

He also said his son might never see the field: “We want Tyler to get in and Tyler to roll. If Tyler gets out there and rolls and we get some continuity, Cody may never play again. We’ll see how it goes.”

Hansen said he didn’t feel like a hook was hanging over his head.

“Not really. I think it’s all up to me right now. The ball is in my court. Whatever I do with it, that’s what’s going to happen,” he said.

And if there’s been a change in plans as far as sharing snaps, Hansen said he hadn’t been informed of that.

“Not as far as I know. Right now I’m starting, but you still might see Cody every once in a while in certain packages. He (Dan Hawkins) is trying to be fair to both of us and see what’s best for the team,” Hansen said.