Where Baker Mayfield ranked on ESPN's Top 100 QB of the 2000s

Baker Mayfield’s college career received historic recognition this week.

The former Oklahoma quarterback ranked No. 1 on ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s Top 100 quarterbacks of the 2000s list, finishing ahead of Heisman winners and national champions across the modern era.

Connelly wrote that while Cam Newton, Vince Young and Joe Burrow may have produced the best single seasons, Mayfield delivered the most complete body of work. 

He finished his college career with 14,607 passing yards, a 69% completion rate, 131 touchdown passes and just 30 interceptions. He added 1,083 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns, showcasing the mobility that defined his game in Lincoln Riley’s spread attack.

His journey made the ranking even more remarkable. Mayfield began as a walk-on at Texas Tech in 2013, winning the starting job and throwing for 413 yards in his debut. After losing the role due to injury and transferring, he walked on again at Oklahoma. From there, he transformed the program for the better.

The Sooners had not won an outright conference title since 2010. Mayfield led them to three consecutive Big 12 championships, three top-five finishes and two College Football Playoff appearances. His 2017 Heisman Trophy campaign capped a storybook run in which he accounted for 4,938 total yards and 48 touchdowns while leading Oklahoma within a play of the national title game.

He remains the only original walk-on to win the Heisman. Despite questions about his size, Mayfield became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has since thrown for nearly 30,000 yards in the NFL.

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Mayfield wasn’t the only Sooner to crack Connelly’s list.

Kyler Murray ranked seventh after his electrifying 2018 season, while Sam Bradford came in at No. 16 following his record-setting 2008 campaign. Jalen Hurts landed at No. 29, Jason White at No. 39 and Landry Jones at No. 46.

But at the top of the list, Connelly made it clear. No quarterback of the 2000s combined longevity, production and impact quite like Mayfield.

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