Position Preview: Quarterbacks

NORMAN — The question on every Sooner fan's mind entering the 2015 offseason was pretty obvious. Who would be the starting quarterback? Head coach Bob Stoops answered that question Monday when he named junior Baker Mayfield as the Sooners' signal caller.

“It's pretty humbling knowing that I am here now in a situation that I dreamed of as a little kid,” Mayfield said. “I need to step back and realize where I'm at, then relax and go play football.”

The former Texas Tech walk-on sat out the 2014 season after transferring to OU and then spent this past offseason in a full-blown derby with redshirt junior Trevor Knight and redshirt sophomore Cody Thomas. After a neck-and-neck-and-neck competition, consistency made the difference.

Striker fall camp

Junior Baker Mayfield was named the starting quarterback for Oklahoma on Monday.

“It's been a very tight battle among those three guys,” Stoops said Monday. “We just felt that overall, Baker was a little more consistent in what we needed to get done, and that's where we'll start him. Baker, Trevor and Cody have all made substantial progress and I feel we can win with any of them."

“There wasn't much difference,” offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said of the quarterbacks. “It was a great competition. There were some things that [Mayfield] did in terms of minimizing mistakes that he did a little bit better than the other two. All three had their strengths, but we put a premium on taking care of the ball and minimizing those mistakes. That's something that Coach and I talked about and was going to be a big factor for us. Ultimately it was.”

TOBY'S TAKE

rowland

The biggest question about Baker Mayfield is his decision making. There's no doubt the kid's got a long list of qualities to be excited about. He's elusive with arm strength, moxie, leadership and the ability to extend a play when the pocket crumbles or a receiver can't break free. The question is, what happens at the end of that extended play? His reputation is high risk/high reward, which doesn't exactly jive with the normal Bob Stoops philosophy. Can Mayfield trim the bad decisions and still have the freedom to make the spectacular play? If the answer is yes, Oklahoma's got somebody special at quarterback.

Perhaps no school in the Big 12 is now in better shape at the backup QB position. A Sugar Bowl MVP who diced up Alabama will be next in line. Trevor Knight is no doubt disappointed that he finished second in the fall derby, but he has the perfect makeup to handle it and still be a positive team leader. Don't be surprised if when called upon this season Knight reminds fans of why they were so excited about him a year ago. I think Lincoln Riley's offense fits perfectly with the skill sets of both Baker Mayfield and Trevor Knight.

Listen to OU play-by-play announcer Toby Rowland weekday mornings from 6-9 a.m. on the "T-Row in the Morning Show" on KREF 98.5 FM and 1400 AM.

As a freshman at Texas Tech, Mayfield started in seven games and played in one other. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,315 yards while throwing 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

Mayfield also boasts the athleticism to make plays outside the pocket. The Austin, Texas, product rushed 88 times for 190 yards and three scores in 2013, and has drawn praise for his ability to throw on the move. In 2013, he was named Freshman All-America honorable mention by College Football News and was also tabbed as the Bid 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year.

Mayfield will have a chance to shine in Riley's offense. Riley spent the last few years at East Carolina where the Pirates ranked No. 3 in the nation in total passing with more than 4,800 yards in 2014. Mayfield is familiar with the system, having run a version of it at both Texas Tech and in high school.

While OU's newest QB1 is confident in his grasp of the offense, he also confident in his ability as a leader.

“I bring energy,” Mayfield said. “I try to keep my head up no matter what happens, being vocal. A lot of things that you want your quarterback to be. He has to be the guy picking people up on the sidelines and keeping them going when something goes wrong. When something good is happening you have to settle them down. You have to be relaxed no matter what.”

Stoops also indicated on Monday that Knight will be Mayfield's backup and Thomas will be the team's No. 3 quarterback.

Knight has 15 career starts, including 10 in 2014 when he completed 57 percent of his passes for 2,300 yards and 14 touchdowns. The San Antonio, Texas, native is also a dynamic threat as a runner, boasting 784 yards rushing as a Sooner for an average of 5.8 yards per tote and seven touchdowns.

Knight was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after the Iowa State game last year, in which he threw for 230 yards and rushed for 146 while totaling six touchdowns (three rushing, three passing). Knight is best known for his nearly flawless MVP performance against Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl. He led the Sooners to a 45-31 win over the Crimson Tide with 348 yards passing and four touchdowns.

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For his career, redshirt junior quarterback Trevor Knight has passed for 3,119 yards, rushed for 784 and totaled 30 touchdowns.

Thomas redshirted in 2013 and played in seven games in 2014, starting the last three contests of the regular season in place of an injured Knight. At 6-4 and 211 pounds, the strong-armed Thomas boasts a prototypical quarterback frame. Though some may think of Thomas as a pure pocket passer, he has the ability to escape the pocket and make plays with his legs, as evidenced by his eight carries for 103 yards against Texas Tech.

Hailing from Colleyville, Texas, Thomas delivered a pair of wins for OU against Kansas and Texas Tech despite poor weather conditions in both games. Overall, he threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns a year ago.

After an offseason of close competition, Riley and Stoops are confident in the abilities of all three quarterbacks and feel that the QB room is a strength of the team.

“They are great character guys,” Stoops said. “They have worked hard and they know there are injuries and you just never know when your time will come to get in the game and help us win. They have handled it right.”

“We are extremely confident in them,” Riley said. “The way they handled the competition was nothing but first class. They know there is more to it than just themselves. They are a very unselfish group and they will be ready to go. I think we are as deep as anyone in the country at that position.”

Players Mentioned

Trevor Knight

Trevor Knight

Trevor Knight

Trevor Knight

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield

Cody Thomas

Cody Thomas

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