Lawyer: Oklahoma QB Mayfield applies for waiver

Published Aug. 14, 2014 8:24 p.m. ET

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The attorney for Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield says the school has filed an appeal to the NCAA to gain immediate eligibility for Texas Tech transfer.

After Mayfield decided to leave Texas Tech, the school ruled he should lose a year of eligibility upon transferring. Mayfield appealed at Tech, but it was denied.

Mayfield's family hired El Paso lawyer Jim Darnell to help with the appeal. Darnell said he didn't understand why Mayfield was blocked from playing immediately, especially given that he was not on scholarship.

''Texas Tech never invested a dime in him,'' the lawyer said. ''To the contrary, his family invested over $11,000 in his Texas Tech education, and when he played as well as he did last fall, Tech still wouldn't commit to a scholarship. Told him there wouldn't be one in the spring and they couldn't guarantee him one in the fall.''

Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said on Big 12 Media Days that Texas Tech was simply following the rules.

''Yeah, just team policy,'' Kingsbury said. ''That's it. And NCAA has that in-conference policy for a reason. And that was it.''

Mayfield played in eight games as a freshman walk-on last season at Tech, passing for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns. He transferred to Big 12 rival Oklahoma in time for the spring game, and he completed all nine of his passes for 125 yards and two scores.

Darnell said the NCAA did not provide a timetable for a decision, but he was hoping for something in the next few weeks.

Oklahoma's backups are redshirt freshman Cody Thomas and freshman Justice Hansen.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP