Oklahoma Football: QB Baker Mayfield Gives Sooners Offense Its Swagger Back

If you think about it, it all started with a dance.

Sitting out the 2014 season to satisfy both NCAA and Big 12 intraconference transfer rules, Baker Mayfield wasn't eligible to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. The former Texas Tech starting quarterback and Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year could only sit on the sidelines.

But even then, Mayfield wasn't about to remain a quiet member of the team. He wasn't content to hang back while starting quarterback Trevor Knight and backup Cody Thomas navigated their way through what would eventually be a disappointing 8-5 season.

No, Mayfield wanted to be embedded as a prominent member of the team. No other moment captured this like his slick dance moves before the Russell Athletic Bowl last season:

Even though Mayfield couldn't take the field for the Sooners, he was carrying himself with the type of confidence that a starting quarterback should have. It was infectious and got people like Bleacher Report's Michael Felder, a former player who knows a starter when he sees one, to take notice:

Indeed, eight months later, Mayfield has been named Oklahoma's starting quarterback.

The news was first reported by Eric Bailey and Guerin Emig of the Tulsa World, and Ryan Aber of the Oklahoman. Oklahoma later confirmed the reports on its Twitter account, validating the feeling that has carried over throughout the course of the offseason:

"It's been a very tight battle among those three guys," said head coach Bob Stoops in a statement on the team's official website. "Baker, Trevor and Cody have all made substantial progress and I feel we can win with any of them."

All of those things, despite being classic examples of coachspeak, could very well be true. But Mayfield gives Oklahoma's offense something else neither Knight nor Thomas can, at least to the same extent: bravado.

That alone may not win the Sooners a Big 12 title. It may not even put them atop the conference in total offense. However, after a miserable season that led to assistant coaching turnover and a decent look at Stoops' future in Norman, it does give the team some hope.

That counts for something.

Mayfield's Oklahoma folklore really began last year as a member of the scout team when the coaching staff began raving about him. “Baker’s done an excellent job on the scout team ... fabulous job,” Stoops said in November, per Bailey. “He’s got all kinds of energy."

When Knight failed to deliver the Sugar Bowl encore that was expected of him in 2014, it opened the door for Mayfield to start.

Though Mayfield threw a team-high two interceptions in the spring game, first-year offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley suggested to reporters that there was still a magic about Mayfield on the practice field.

"Baker’s not a guy that’s afraid to take chances. And that’s the catch-22 in this offense. You can’t be scared, but at the same time, they’ve got to be calculated. They’ve got to be smart," he said. "And I loved the aggressiveness of Baker. I don’t want to pull on the reins."

Oklahoma's coaching staff has previously been adamant that there was no favorite in the quarterback competition, but reading between the lines, it was easy to see that Stoops and Riley liked what they saw from Mayfield. What YouTube viewers saw on the Internet was the same confidence that Mayfield showed on the football field.

By naming him the starter, Oklahoma's coaching staff believes the playmaking ability Mayfield brings outweighs the potential for mistakes.

Yes, Mayfield will take chances. He's never been shy about admitting that. Like all quarterbacks with that mentality, those chances will result in some amazing plays and some forehead-slapping decisions. As a true freshman for the Red Raiders in 2013, Mayfield threw for 2,315 yards and had 15 total touchdowns in eight games, but he racked up nine interceptions and had some ball security issues.

When I spoke to Stoops at Big 12 media days about Mayfield's gunslinger attitude, he made sure to point out that Mayfield wouldn't get the starting job if he was flat-out reckless with the football. Chances are the coaching staff feels he's been smarter with his decision-making.

Just last week, Mayfield told Aber that he was "sticking to the basics fundamentally" with his game.

Mayfield will still be who he is, but Stoops and Co. feel he's coachable as well. That's an important balance to find. Getting better is everyone's goal, and, certainly, Oklahoma has a lot of room to improve from last year.

At the same time, you can't teach the kind of swagger Mayfield brings to the locker room and football field.

One of the few missing pieces standing in the way of a surprise Big 12 title run for Oklahoma was the quarterback spot. It would appear the team has found its missing piece. And maybe a little bit more.

Will Mayfield be the one to get Oklahoma back on track? There's no way to know that right now. But this much is certain: The Sooners will have some fun trying.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.