Baker Mayfield played high school football for Lake Travis High School in Austin, TX. Mayfield led Lake Travis to a 25-2 record in two seasons and won the 2011 4A State Championship. After graduating from high school, Mayfield attended Texas Tech University and became a walk-on for the Red Raiders football team.
With projected starting quarterback Michael Brewer suffering a back injury, Mayfield became the first walk-on true freshman to start a season opener at the quarterback position. Later in the season, Mayfield struggled with injuries and lost the starting QB job to Davis Webb. Despite showing promise as a true freshman, Mayfield announced he would be transferring due to a "miscommunication" with the Red Raiders coaching staff.
He did become a walk-on for the Oklahoma Sooners but had to wait for his time to shine. Mayfield was not eligible to play in the 2014 season due to Big 12 Conference transfer rules.
Mayfield came back in 2015 to win the starting quarterback gig, beating out Trevor Knight. Mayfield helped lead the Oklahoma Sooners to the 2015 Orange Bowl and a semifinals showdown with the Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoffs. Mayfield's first season with the Sooners saw him pass for 3,700 yards and 36 passing touchdowns to just seven interceptions. He finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
Mayfield's second season with the Sooners saw him continue to ascend the ranks of elite college football quarterbacks. A game against his former school and opposite future NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes saw both quarterbacks put up unreal stats. Mayfield had 545 passing yards and seven touchdowns while Mahomes had 734 passing yards and five touchdowns. Mayfield would finish third in voting for the Heisman Trophy while leading the Sooners to an appearance in the Sugar Bowl against the Auburn Tigers. The Sooners won 35-19 and Mayfield was named MVP of the Sugar Bowl.
In his third season with the Sooners, Mayfield became one of the best quarterbacks in college football but also had his fair share of negative attention from national media. Mayfield became a lightning rod for criticism after planting the Sooners' flag in the middle of the painted "O" at midfield after beating the Ohio State University Buckeyes in Columbus. He would later be stripped of being a team captain and forced to not start a game against the West Virginia Mountaineers after an incident while playing the Kansas Jayhawks.
In a surprising move, the Cleveland Browns selected Mayfield with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Mayfield would make his first NFL appearance in Week 3 against the New York Jets, replacing an injured Tyrod Taylor. Mayfield helped lead the Browns to a comeback win that ended a 19-game winless streak for the Browns. Mayfield would be the Browns starter for the rest of the season and came close to winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year despite not starting right away. In the Top 100 Players List for 2019, Mayfield was ranked at No. 50 by his fellow NFL players.
After years of futility, especially at the quarterback position, it appears the Browns finally have a franchise quarterback to build around. Mayfield has proven to be a playmaker under center and is one of the bright young superstar quarterbacks set to lead the league for the next decade.