Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield may have been a Davey O’Brien finalist and Heisman contender, but he still plays with a chip on his shoulder and he still holds a grudge toward those teams that passed up a chance to sign him out of high school.
Mayfield’s story as an unheralded walk-on is well known, but his beef with TCU and coach Gary Patterson came to light Monday during media sessions for Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Clemson.
“They told me they were gonna offer me a scholarship and kind of [dragged] it out, and I told other schools I wasn't interested because I thought I was going to go there, and I truly believed they were going to offer me because they told me that,” Mayfield said. “They disappointed me and kind of hung me out to dry right before signing day.”
Mayfield was asked whether he’d aired his grievances with Patterson and he remained coy.
“He doesn't like me, and I have no comment about that,” Mayfield said.
Monday evening, TCU coach Gary Patterson was asked about Mayfield's comments. The Horned Frogs play Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2.
"I like Baker Mayfield. I think he's a good kid and that's what disappoints me," Patterson told Bonnie Bernstein.
"If Baker Mayfield wants to blame TCU for 128 BCS schools not offering him a scholarship, that's fine. But ask Kliff Kingsbury why he didn't offer him a scholarship at Texas Tech. Ask about Baker's dad. He's an arrogant guy who thinks he knows everything. If people knew the whole story, they might not have a great opinion of Baker or his father."
"Remember what was going on then. Casey Pachall was in alcohol rehab, we already had Trevone [Boykin], Tyler Matthews was an early commit. When we knew we were getting Casey back, there just wasn't a need. This stuff happens all the time."
In 2014, when Mayfield was sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, Patterson and Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin claimed Mayfield was stealing the Horned Frogs’ signals when TCU and Oklahoma met. This past season, TCU linebacker Ty Summers was ejected for targeting after a helmet-to-helmet hit against Mayfield that knocked him out for the second half of the contest.
But it seems like Mayfield has gotten the last laugh, at least this year. TCU was one of the favorites to not only win the Big 12 but play in the College Football Playoff. Instead, it was the Sooners who surged in the conference race and claimed the Big 12’s first coveted spot in the postseason. Now Mayfield has his team one win away from playing for a national title.
And he said he plans to do so with the same chip on his shoulder than got him this far.
“It's always there and it will probably never leave,” he said. “That's just the type of player I am and that's the type of motivation we have to play with to be successful. [Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley] says it all the time: We play better with an edge. We have to carry that mentality into this game even if we are favored.”
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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