’FIELD DAY
Sooners' Baker runs away with Heisman
The player who struggled to find scholarship offers struggled to get the words out of his mouth. Baker Mayfield fought back tears, as hard as he’d fought to end up behind that podium. The walk-on was a legend. Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield captured the 83rd Heisman Trophy on Saturday night at the PlayStation Theater in Manhattan, with the polarizing senior quarterback winning in a landslide over Stanford’s Bryce Love and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson.
Mayfield, who became the first-ever former walk-on to win the award, finished with 732 first-place votes (78.8 percent) and 2,398 total points, receiving the thirdhighest percentage (86) of total points available in Heisman history. After finishing fourth in the voting in 2015, and third last year, Mayfield became the sixth Sooner to win the award, and the first senior to win it since Troy Smith (2006).
Love, who had 75 firstplace votes, and 1,300 points, became the fifth Stanford player to be named runner-up since 2009, while Jackson received 47 firstplace votes and 793 points, failing to become the second-ever two-time Heisman winner.
In leading Oklahoma to a third straight Big 12 title, and second appearance in the College Football Playoff, Mayfield produced the most efficient season by a quarterback in the sport’s history, ranking second in the nation with 4,340 yards passing and 41 touchdowns, and leading the country in completion percentage (71.0) and quarterback rating (203.8), while throwing just five interceptions.
“It’s surreal. It’s unbelievable,” Mayfield said. “There is no way I could ever imagine how this feels right now. It’s a dream right now.”
Mayfield’s remarkable career began as a walk-on at Texas Tech, and he remained without a scholarship when he transferred as a sophomore to Oklahoma, where he beat out starter Trevor Knight, and instantly be- came one of the most exciting players in the country.
The emotional star’s incredible rise to fame eventually suffered from the scrutiny that accompanies it.
In February, Mayfield was charged with disorderly conduct, public intoxication and resisting arrest. In the Sooners’ biggest win of the season, the senior was criticized for planting an Oklahoma flag at midfield of Ohio Stadium. Two months later, Mayfield grabbed his crotch, while cursing at Kansas play- ers, who refused to shake his hand before the game. The controversial quarterback was briefly benched and stripped of his captaincy in his final home game.
The face of college football wasn’t the one the sport always wanted to showcase, but no incident could stain Mayfield’s brilliant season, and career. The walk-on was a legend. “I’m not done yet,” Mayfield said. “But I hope I leave my legacy as someone that never gave up.”