Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield
Oklahoma Sooners No. 6
Position Quarterback
Class Junior
Major Business
Career history
College
High school Austin (TX) Lake Travis
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-04-14) April 14, 1995
Place of birth Austin, Texas
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 212 lb (96 kg)
Career highlights and awards

Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995)[1] is a college American football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. Mayfield began his college football career as a walk-on player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He is notable for being the first walk-on true freshman to start a season opener at a BCS school.[2] Mayfield transferred from Texas Tech to Oklahoma following alleged scholarship issues and a lack of communication with coaches.[3] After sitting out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Mayfield won the starting quarterback job in 2015 over Cody Thomas and incumbent starter Trevor Knight.[4][5]

High school career

Mayfield was the starting quarterback for Lake Travis High School. While at the position, Mayfield led Lake Travis to a 25–2 record in two seasons and won the 2011 4A State Championship. He finished his high school career totaling 6,255 passing yards, 67 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions.[1]

College career

Texas Tech

Shortly before the start of the 2013 season, Mayfield was named as the starting quarterback following a back injury of projected starter and former Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer.[6] Mayfield is believed to be the first walk-on true freshman quarterback to start a season opener at the quarterback position.

In his first start against SMU, Mayfield passed for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His 43 completions of 60 attempts broke a school record held by Billy Joe Tolliver, and fell only four completions short of the NCAA Division I single-game record for completions by a freshman.[7][8] For his performance, Mayfield was named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week – the first freshman Texas Tech quarterback to be named so since current Red Raider head coach Kliff Kingsbury in 1999.[9] The game featured the last four former Lake Travis quarterbacks combined on both teams: Garrett Gilbert, Michael Brewer, Mayfield, and Collin Lagasse.[10]

Following the Red Raiders' second victory over Stephen F. Austin, Mayfield's then 780 season yards and seven touchdowns already exceeded the 755 yards and six TDs accrued by Texas Tech's last true freshman quarterback, Aaron Keesee, in 10 games.[11] After being affected by injury and losing the starting job to fellow true freshman Davis Webb, Mayfield finished the season with 2315 yards on 218/340 completions with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Mayfield was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy in November; the award is given to the best walk-on player in Division I football.[12]

Mayfield earned Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year for the 2013 season. Mayfield announced that he would be leaving the program due to a 'miscommunication' with the coaching staff.[13][14]

Oklahoma

Mayfield enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in January 2014, but had not contacted the Sooner coaching staff. Mayfield further elaborated in an interview with ESPN that he sought to transfer due to scholarship issues and a perception that he had earned the starting position and that further competition was not "really fair".[13][15] The alleged scholarship issues were denied by Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury.[16]

In February 2014, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops confirmed that Mayfield would be walking on for the Oklahoma Sooners. Mayfield was not eligible to play until the 2015 season, and lost a season of eligibility due to Big 12 Conference transfer rules following an unsuccessful appeal of his transfer restrictions.[17] On August 24, 2015, Mayfield was named the starting quarterback for the Sooners after winning an open quarterback competition against Trevor Knight. On September 6, 2015 Mayfield started against Akron. Mayfield totaled 388 yards through the air with 3 touchdowns on 23 completions in the 41–3 win.[18] In week 2 of the 2015 season, Mayfield started at Tennessee. The Sooners were ranked 19th at the time and the Volunteers were ranked 23rd. Mayfield started off very slow in the game, not even reaching midfield until the 13 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Oklahoma came back from a 17-point deficit to win the game in double overtime. Mayfield threw for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns on 19 completions while throwing 2 interceptions early in the game in the 31–24 win.[19] In week 3 of the season, Mayfield got the start against Tulsa. Mayfield had a career day throwing for 487 yards and 4 touchdowns, including 316 yards at half. Mayfield also ran for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 52–38 win.[20][21]

Mayfield finished the year with 3,700 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting and led Oklahoma to the College Football Playoff semifinal (2015 Orange Bowl). However, they lost to Clemson.

On December 3rd, 2016, Mayfield announced he will stay at Oklahoma for his senior year, after beating Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship.

“Baker Mayfield Rule”

The NCAA requires that players transferring between four year institutions forego competing for a year following a transfer. After Mayfield transferred from Texas Tech to Oklahoma after his freshman year, he filed an appeal to the NCAA to allow him to be eligible immediately at Oklahoma on the basis that he was a walk-on and non-scholarship player at Texas Tech, therefore the transfer rules that apply to scholarship players should not be applicable to his situation. The NCAA denied his appeal as he did not meet the criteria. Big 12 Conference rules additionally stipulate that intraconference transfers will lose one year of eligibility over and beyond the one-year sitout imposed by the NCAA.[22] Mayfield attempted to appeal his initial loss of eligibility to the Big 12 Conference faculty athletics representatives but was denied in September 2014.[23]

Officials from Oklahoma asked Texas Tech officials to authorize Mayfield's immediate eligibility, but Texas Tech officials objected and declined their request before granting a release in July 2014.[24] Mayfield was forced to sit out the 2014 season, while also losing one year of eligibility as was required by the rules.[25][26]

On June 1, 2016, the Big 12 faculty athletic representatives voted against a rule proposal that would have allowed walk-on players to transfer within the conference and not lose a year of eligibility. The next day, the rule proposal was amended to allow walk-on players without a written scholarship offer from the school they are transferring from, to transfer within the conference without losing a season of eligibility. The faculty athletic representatives approved the amended proposal with a vote of 7-3. The rule change will make Mayfield eligible to play for Oklahoma through the 2017 season. Texas Tech voted in favor of the rule.[27][28]

References

  1. 1 2 "Baker Mayfield Profile". Texas Tech University. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  2. ↑ Fenelon, Andy. "Freshman walk-on Baker Mayfield has 5 TDs for Texas Tech". NFL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ Trotter, Jake (January 10, 2014). "Q&A: Ex-Texas Tech QB Baker Mayfield". ESPN. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  4. ↑ Vardeman, Brady (August 24, 2015). "Oklahoma football: Baker Mayfield's gamble ends in starting quarterback job". The Oklahoma Daily. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  5. ↑ Hinnen, Jerry (August 24, 2015). "Baker Mayfield named Sooners starting QB: 3 things to know". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  6. ↑ Trotter, Jake. "Source: Tech to start Baker Mayfield". ESPN. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  7. ↑ Dodd, Dennis. "Kingsbury the kingmaker finds another one in head coaching debut". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  8. ↑ "2011 Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF). NCAA. p. 2. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  9. ↑ Stevenson, Stefan. "Mayfield earns Big 12 honor, a first for Texas Tech since Kingsbury in '99". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  10. ↑ Bromberg, nick. "Texas Tech-SMU matchup features the last four Lake Travis High School quarterbacks". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  11. ↑ "1984 Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Mayfield named semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy". KCBD. November 19, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  13. 1 2 Graham, Mike (December 11, 2013). "Is QB Baker Mayfield seeking a transfer from Texas Tech? To be determined ...". The Dallas Morning-News. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  14. ↑ Aber, Ryan (December 11, 2013). "Big 12 football: OU, OSU place combined eight players on All-Big 12 football team". NewsOK.com. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  15. ↑ Trotter, Jake. "Q&A: Former Texas Tech QB Baker Mayfield". ESPN. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ Kersey, Jason (October 19, 2015). "Oklahoma football: How people in Lubbock view Baker Mayfield". NewsOK.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  17. ↑ Shadid, Trent (February 5, 2014). "Bob Stoops confirms Baker Mayfield's transfer from Texas Tech". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Akron vs. Oklahoma - Game Summary - September 5, 2015 - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  19. ↑ "Oklahoma vs. Tennessee - Game Summary - September 12, 2015 - ESPN". Espn.go.com. 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  20. ↑ "Tulsa vs. Oklahoma - Game Summary - September 19, 2015 - ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  21. ↑ "Air Apparent: Baker Mayfield needs record-setting day for OU to beat Tulsa". Tulsaworld.com. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  22. ↑ "Conference Handbook" (PDF). Big12Sports.com. Big 12 Conference. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  23. ↑ Aber, Ryan. "OU football journal: Baker Mayfield named The Sporting News' Player of the Year". NewsOK. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  24. ↑ Fowler, Jeremy. "Texas Tech lifts scholarship ban for OU's Baker Mayfield". CBSSports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  25. ↑ Trotter, Jake (September 29, 2014). "Baker Mayfield has appeal denied". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  26. ↑ Tramel, Berry (January 31, 2016). "Could Baker Mayfield transfer and get his fourth season elsewhere?". NewsOK.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  27. ↑ Trotter, Jake (June 2, 2016). "Baker Mayfield eligible for OU in '17 after Big 12 OK's tweaked rule". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  28. ↑ Hoover, John. "Kingsbury: Texas Tech voted for 'Baker Mayfield Rule'". Retrieved September 3, 2016.
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