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Oklahoma football: Which 4 Sooner GOATs are Mount Rushmore worthy?

By Chip Rouse

circa 1960: Mount Rushmore in Dakota where four presidents' faces have been sculptured out of the rocks, known as the Shrine Of Democracy. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
circa 1960: Mount Rushmore in Dakota where four presidents' faces have been sculptured out of the rocks, known as the Shrine Of Democracy. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners reacts after there is no penalty call on a pass during the second quarter in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners reacts after there is no penalty call on a pass during the second quarter in the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield’s decorated college career didn’t begin at Oklahoma, but it will forever be associated with the Sooners. Oklahoma didn’t even recruit Mayfield.

As a three-star quarterback prospect out of Lake Travis High School near Austin, Texas, Mayfield wasn’t heavily recruited. He ultimately walked on at Texas Tech, and ended up starting seven games for the Red Raiders in 2013. He was named Big 12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year that season.

After the 2013 season, however, citing communication issues with the Texas Tech coaching staff, Mayfield elected to transfer and chose Oklahoma, the football team he rooted for as a kid growing up in the backyard of the Texas Longhorns.

The rest, by now, is well-documented history. Like was the case at Texas Tech, Mayfield walked on at OU and was not on scholarship when he came to Oklahoma. He will no doubt go down as the greatest walk-on player in the modern history of college football.

Where do we begin? How about 2017? That season Mayfield became Oklahoma’s sixth Heisman Trophy winner (he had been a finalist for two consecutive years), and was the consensus National Player of the Year.

The Sooners were 34-6 with Mayfield as the starting quarterback. Often criticized for his over-the-top emotional outbursts, it is his fiery competitive spirit that also makes him such a team leader and fan favorite.

He finished his Oklahoma career ranked second in NCAA Division I history in passing efficiency rating (another OU quarterback, Sam Bradford, was ahead of him) and set the record for the most consecutive games with at least two passing touchdowns. He holds Big 12 records for yards per pass attempt and is second in passing touchdowns, passing efficiency rating and total offense.

Mayfield is second all-time at OU in passing yards and holds the school record for completion percentage.

The No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield is still early in an NFL career and remains a spirited team leader and fan favorite.

Honorable mention: Adrian Peterson, Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Joe Washington, Bob Stoops, Barry Switzer, Keith Jackson and Jack Mildren.

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