Why Baker Mayfield Left Tech

[meangreen15]

Q & A with Baker Mayfield about his decision to leave Tech. Thought it was interesting that he gave ECU and UH a little consideration before he ultimately settled on OU. I was also surprised about how he is still bitter towards TCU because they did not offer him a scholarship coming out of high school.

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/78697/qa-former-texas-tech-qb-baker-mayfield

[meangreenthirteen]

I think this kid made a huge mistake.

[Wag Tag]

Really enjoyed watching him play. He is a gamer. Wish we could of gotten him. Good luck Baker!

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

I think this kid made a huge mistake.

He couldn't wait a semester for a scholarship and compete for a starting job, so he decided to transfer to a school that he has no idea if he can get a scholarship to and will most likely not have the starting job.

[cdizzle86]

He could of easily just walked into Kingsbury's office and asked him what the deal is. It sounds like a lack of communication on both parts and he made a quick decision without knowing the whole circumstance. Hopefully it works out for him, but I think it was stupid on his part.

Edited January 9, 2014 by cdizzle86

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

He could of easily just walked into Kingsbury's and asked him what the deal is. It sounds like a lack of communication on both parts and he made a quick decision without knowing the whole circumstance. Hopefully it works out for him, but I think it was stupid on his part.

I mean, i know it's frustrating to lose a starting position or think you're losing a starting position, but he was a walk-on Freshman. He should be happy he started a game in the first place. He got a big head from starting and got a sense of entitlement it seems to me.

[Travis]

I think this kid made a huge mistake.

I guess that depends on what he wants to go to school for.

[GOMG2013]

Seems like OU was his favorite school. He didnt mind going to another school, if ge had a good chance at playing. I guess he didnt feel like going through proving himself over and over again at a place he was only at for football purposes. He didnt get the scholarship, and there was no guarantee he was going to get one if his performance this season didnt get him one.

I guess he figured if im going to pay for college and battle for playing time, may as well be at my favorite school.

[wardly]

What is he thinking? TT will not let him go to Oklahoma, and if they did, he would be right back where he started;walking on without a scholarship. Kid's getting bad/no advice, and if he is,not taking it.

[UNTexas]

I think he's overestimating his skills. He could probably get a scholarship somewhere but he's barking up the wrong tree at OU. They have a QB. Several actually. I hope he enjoys being irrelevant on the scout team after burning some eligibility while paying out of state tuition.

[UNTP1]

I think he's overestimating his skills. He could probably get a scholarship somewhere but he's barking up the wrong tree at OU. They have a QB. Several actually. I hope he enjoys being irrelevant on the scout team after burning some eligibility while paying out of state tuition.

Absolutely. The other two quarterbacks had caught up to him by the time he came back from injury. He felt entitled. Call me crazy, but I trust Kingsbury's evaluation of QB talent a lot more than Baker Mayfield and if he was as good as he thought he was Kliff would've got him a scholarship already. Kliff will not have trouble getting quarterbacks to come to Lubbock, Mayfield will have trouble getting reps in Norman and definitely a scholarship. Although it did take them a while to realize that Knight was much better than Bell so who knows.

[ntmeangreen11]

I don't have any sympathy for the kid. First off, he was foolish to turn down Rice out of high school thinking they were too small time for him. Then he decides to transfer to OU? He will not sniff the field there unless Trevor Knight leaves early for NFL draft in a couple years. If he's allowed to play for OU he will last half a semester and then transfer to a JUCO, and then likely be faced with the same situation coming out of high school with a lack of AQ offers.

Edited January 10, 2014 by ntmeangreen11

[glick1980]

This is the last anyone will ever hear of this dumbass.

[MeanGreenZen]

Seems Tech was pretty clear they did not want him and I can't blame Mayfield for leaving. If Kliff thought he had a future there he would have found him a 'ship. I hope NCAA grants Mayfield's appeal. Tech has no right to limit this kids options if they wouldn't give him a scholarship.

Now I don't agree he should go to OU with 5 scholarship QBs already there, but this kid just started at Tech as a walk-on true freshman. I am sure he believes everything will always work out for him like that. And maybe it will.

[MeanGreenWithEnvy]

This story makes me sad. Baker's obviously got some talent, but his brain hasn't caught up to his talent at this point in his life.

Baker wanted OU to ask him to college football prom, but TCU beat them to it, but then they made plans with someone else the week before the big dance.

He had Tech as a backup date, so went with them at the last minute. Before the first hour of prom was up, he got mad at Tech because they danced with other QBs.

His solution to the problem is to go chasing after OU, who, along with their date Trevor Knight, is already headed to the after party.

I don't think John Hughes himself could find a silver lining in this story.

[Harry]

I think a bigger question is why Tech couldn't offer this guy a scholarship?? He's a tool for sure but shouldn't Tech at least given him a scholarship based on the wins he had?

[Big E]

Total lack of maturity by this young man. And he probably received some bad advice from family/friends and/or he didn't want to listen to good advice. Of course the other Tech QBs understood...less competition for them with Mayfield gone and they don't have to listen to him complain anymore! Interesting that he followed the lead of his best friend, Garrett Gilbert, by leaving his school when things got challenging. He will learn that life is challenging and things don't always go as you expect or desire. You learn to adapt and persist...building strength and character along the way. He will probably get lost on the depth chart at OU if he ends up there. Ridiculous sense of entitlement from this fella'! But an interesting story...thanks for posting.

[JesseMartin]

I think a bigger question is why Tech couldn't offer this guy a scholarship?? He's a tool for sure but shouldn't Tech at least given him a scholarship based on the wins he had?

Maybe the answer is that simple...perhaps he's such a tool that KK didn't want to put up with his attitude. Not that we're likely to find out, but if he was becoming a jackass before Kingsbury's evaluation and decision not to grant a scholarship, then that would make perfect sense. Crappy attitude and selfishness can be poison to a team and far outweighs any talent. If that is the case, then it would stand to reason that Kliff was happy to let him become someone else's problem.

[meangreenthirteen]

This story makes me sad. Baker's obviously got some talent, but his brain hasn't caught up to his talent at this point in his life.

Baker wanted OU to ask him to college football prom, but TCU beat them to it, but then they made plans with someone else the week before the big dance.

He had Tech as a backup date, so went with them at the last minute. Before the first hour of prom was up, he got mad at Tech because they danced with other QBs.

His solution to the problem is to go chasing after OU, who, along with their date Trevor Knight, is already headed to the after party.

I don't think John Hughes himself could find a silver lining in this story.

I think you described it perfectly. Grass is always greener, Baker.

[Cr1028]

It is funny how he thinks he should have been handed the starting job again when he came back from injury but didn't think Brewer should get the job back when Brewer came back from injury.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Here's the problem, as I see, for this kid:

(1) There are more quarterbacks competing for the starting job at OU than at Tech, and
(2) There are more quarterbacks competing for the starting job at OU than at Tech.

He should come here to UNT. We've got an open competition as well. The none of the competitors has much game experience. You gotta admit, Tech did kind of tank after he was injured. And, Kingsbury looks like he's going to be one of those coaches who rotates QBs every game.

I think he'd do well here. The C-USun Belt competition wouldn't be overly tough on him. The five games he started and won: SMU, SFA, TCU, Texas State, Kansas. C-USun Belt 2014 isn't going to be much tougher than that.

I know OU's Knight QB had a good game against Alabama. But, he wasn't great earlier in the season and was benched. The Bell kid wasn't great either. Maybe that's what he's thinking. But, I don't see how winning the OU job is easier than winning the Tech job.

Bell has been at OU five years now, Knight three. So, how he thinks he'll walk in there and learn the playbook enough to unseed those two, although admittedly shaky, players is beyond me...but, I don't have a 19 year old kid brain.

He'd have a better time of it here. He throws and runs well, like many here think is 110% necessary. And, the in-state tuition as a walk-on would be cheaper. But...if the kid's from Lake Travis, I doubt money is an issue; and, so that's probably another reason OU is even in the picture - his parents can afford to have him walk on out of state.

[CaribbeanGreen]

"He should come here to UNT. We've got an open competition as well. The none of the competitors has much game experience. You gotta admit, Tech did kind of tank after he was injured. And, Kingsbury looks like he's going to be one of those coaches who rotates QBs every game."

Check the schedule though. Mayfield played against the sisters of the poor, and Davis Webb STILL put up better numbers. With Brewer coming back and Webb outperforming Mayfield, it's not out of the realm of possibility he'd have been a three at Tech next year.

[UNTP1]

Here's the problem, as I see, for this kid:

(1) There are more quarterbacks competing for the starting job at OU than at Tech, and

(2) There are more quarterbacks competing for the starting job at OU than at Tech.

He should come here to UNT. We've got an open competition as well. The none of the competitors has much game experience. You gotta admit, Tech did kind of tank after he was injured. And, Kingsbury looks like he's going to be one of those coaches who rotates QBs every game.

I think he'd do well here. The C-USun Belt competition wouldn't be overly tough on him. The five games he started and won: SMU, SFA, TCU, Texas State, Kansas. C-USun Belt 2014 isn't going to be much tougher than that.

I know OU's Knight QB had a good game against Alabama. But, he wasn't great earlier in the season and was benched. The Bell kid wasn't great either. Maybe that's what he's thinking. But, I don't see how winning the OU job is easier than winning the Tech job.

Bell has been at OU five years now, Knight three. So, how he thinks he'll walk in there and learn the playbook enough to unseed those two, although admittedly shaky, players is beyond me...but, I don't have a 19 year old kid brain.

He'd have a better time of it here. He throws and runs well, like many here think is 110% necessary. And, the in-state tuition as a walk-on would be cheaper. But...if the kid's from Lake Travis, I doubt money is an issue; and, so that's probably another reason OU is even in the picture - his parents can afford to have him walk on out of state.

I am glad he didn't come here but even if he had I don't know that he would have won the starting job here. He was an average passer who tried to force the ball to Amaro no matter how many defenders were covering him and he almost always stared down the receiver he wanted to throw to from the snap of the ball. He was definitely was not a good runner. He ran like he thought he was Johnny Football, but was far slower and much less athletic. The only reason Tech seemed to fall off after he got injured was the fact that their schedule got significantly tougher. They would have lost those games with him healthy. Again, Kliff Kingsbury may not ever field a decent defense, but he knows how to evaluate quarterbacks and he didn't think this kid was worthy of a scholarship yet.

[meangreenthirteen]

"He should come here to UNT. We've got an open competition as well. The none of the competitors has much game experience. You gotta admit, Tech did kind of tank after he was injured. And, Kingsbury looks like he's going to be one of those coaches who rotates QBs every game."

Check the schedule though. Mayfield played against the sisters of the poor, and Davis Webb STILL put up better numbers. With Brewer coming back and Webb outperforming Mayfield, it's not out of the realm of possibility he'd have been a three at Tech next year.

Agreed. The easy schedule to start the season gave the kid a big head.

[BillySee58]

Drama. RT @EricBaileyTW Baker Mayfield's request to be released to Oklahoma was denied during a Friday appeals hearing at Texas Tech.

— Dave Campbell's TF (@dctf)

January 10, 2014