It is not often that a quarterback who started for one team will transfer to a conference rival that following offseason. That looks to be what Texas Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield will be doing. Reports Thursday say Mayfield will enroll at Oklahoma and walk on to the Sooners.
The Austin American Statesman reported Thursday Mayfield intends to enroll at Oklahoma and walk on to the team. Texas Tech has already agreed to release Mayfield from his scholarship, but according to the report the school has not allowed Mayfield to make contact with Oklahoma. Because of that, no scholarship offer from Oklahoma can be made, leaving Mayfield no other option than to try his best to walk on to the team and perhaps hope one day to receive an available scholarship if things go well.
This all stems back to one of the negatives of players choosing to transfer to other programs, and this is far from a Texas Tech issue. Schools, for whatever reason, have the ability to limit what schools players originally under scholarship can transfer to. Meanwhile coaches can come and go as they please. Why student-athletes are not given the same opportunity is sometimes a topic for debate. Fortunately for Mayfield, Texas Tech is not saying Oklahoma is off-limits. They just are restricting his opportunity to get another scholarship, potentially, if this report is accurate.
As previously reported, Mayfield made the decision to transfer after learning Texas Tech will go with Michael Brewer as the team’s starting quarterback for the upcoming Holiday Bowl against Arizona State.
If Mayfield does indeed transfer to Oklahoma, he will have to sit out a full season before being eligible to play in 2015, per NCAA transfer rules. As a true freshman, Mayfield got some playing time as a starter this season as the Red Raiders battled injuries, but Mayfield may attempt to appeal the standard transfer rules. That will put the ball in the NCAA’s court to decide whether or not he can play in 2014.