Oklahoma football: The Mount Rushmore of all-time Sooner quarterbacks
By Chip Rouse
Baker Mayfield (2015-2017)
In addition to being one of the greatest quarterbacks in Oklahoma football history, Baker Mayfield was certainly one of the most controversial. Not so much to Sooner fans, though, because, like him or not, Mayfield was a winner and his fiery, competitive spirit won some big games for the Sooners.
Mayfield did not begin his college career at OU. He was a walk-on at Texas Tech and was the starting quarterback in the Red Raiders’ first five games of the 2013 season. After suffering an injury, he lost his starting job and at season’s end elected to transfer in hopes of catching on at Oklahoma. He walked on to the Sooners’ program, as well, and the rest is history.
Mayfield had to sit out the 2014 season because of NCAA transfer rules, but he became eligible in 2015, the same year that Lincoln Riley joined the Sooner coaching staff as offensive coordinator.
As the field general in Riley’s Air Raid offense, Mayfield flourished in the 2015 season, completing 68 percent of his passes for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also had seven rushing touchdowns. With Mayfield at the controls, the Sooners were 11-1 in the regular season with victories over five top-25 teams. Mayfield led OU to the College Football Playoff for the first time that season, where the Sooners lost to top-seeded Clemson. Mayfield finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting that season.
The next season was even better for Mayfield from a statistical perspective. He completed 71 percent of his passes for nearly 4,000 yards, 40 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Sooners started the season losing two of their first three games, but rebounded to run the table with 10 consecutive wins to finish 11-2. Oklahoma did not make a return trip to the College Football Playoff in 2016, but Mayfield led OU to a 40-22 victory over Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Mayfield and his favorite receiver Dede Westbrook were both finalists for the 2016 Heisman Trophy.
One of the highlights of the 2016 season was a 66-59 Oklahoma shootout with Texas Tech and Red Raider quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mayfield outdueled his Texas Tech counterpart completing 75 percent of his passes for 545 yards and seven touchdowns in leading the Sooners to the victory.
The 2017 Oklahoma season was defined by the Sooners’ 31-16 road victory at Ohio State in the Sooners’ second game. Mayfield passed for 386 yards and three touchdowns and capped off the win with the controversial planting of the OU flag in the middle of the Ohio State logo at mid-field.
The Sooners competed the season with a 12-2 record and the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff, losing to Georgia in a double-overtime thriller in one of the national semifinal games.
Mayfield’s season and college career at Oklahoma ended with the 2017 Heisman Trophy, along with the Maxwell Award as college football’s best player, the Davey O’Brien Award, and other top honors. He was a unanimous All-American and finished his three seasons in Norman as No. 2 in FBS history in passing efficiency rating (175.4), third all-time in passing yards per attempt (9.7), tied for fourth in touchdown passes (131) and fifth in total offense (15,690).
Mayfield ranks second all-time among OU quarterbacks (behind Landry Jones) with 12,292 career passing yards. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Mayfield will be in his third season with the Cleveland Browns in 2020.