OU: Mayfield Graces Cover Of Sports Illustrated

Baker Mayfield is featured on the Dec. 4 issue of Sports Illustrated, which hits newsstands this week.

The cover story, titled "Welcome to the Baker Mayfield Show," profiles the ultra-competitive quarterback and his spirited personality on and off the field. Following is a short excerpt, written by Jack Dickey: 

Mayfield and those around him say that the swaggering, cocky reputation he has does not reflect his personality. He says his true self comes across best one-on-one. Indeed, in conversation the Austin native is friendly and easygoing, an average college senior who likes Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, Halo and cooking breakfast.

Sooners have been featured on the cover more than 40 times in the magazine's 63 years of existence. In fact, OU fans were the subject of the publication's first test issue in 1953 before Sports Illustrated became its official name. The same image was later used on SI's 12th-ever issue, dated Nov. 1, 1954.

Among college football programs, only Ohio State has made more SI cover appearances than Oklahoma.