Mayfield Madness: OU's Baker Mayfield Named Finalist For Burlsworth Trophy

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has been named a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, alongside Washington State quarterback Luke Falk and Penn State defensive end Cal Nassib.

The honor is awarded to the most outstanding college football player to begin his career as a walk-on. The Trophy was created in remembrance of the late Brandon Burlsworth. He was a walk-on at Arkansas in 1995 that turned into a three-year starter. In 1999, he was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts but died in a car accident 11 days later driving back to his hometown.

Before walking on at OU, Mayfield was a walk-on at Texas Tech. The Sooner standout has led his team to a 10-1 record and is a Heisman Trophy candidate. His current numbers matchup favorably with the Heisman winners from 2007-present who were also quarterbacks. Marcus Mariota (2014), Robert Griffin III (2010), Sam Bradford (2008) and Tim Tebow (2007) are the only QB winners that tallied more touchdowns through 11 games.

With back-to-back wins against Baylor and TCU, OU has jumped to No. 3 over No. 4 Iowa, No. 5 Michigan State and No. 6 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff rankings. 

With Mayfield's performance this season, it's not surprising that he's in the top three for this award.