If Baker Mayfield's daring playing style -- and the potential for injury that goes with it -- is a concern for NFL scouts, the Oklahoma quarterback will deal with that when the time comes.
Until then, he's not changing anything.
"They're not going to coach that out of me. Even if they tried, I don't think it would happen," Mayfield said of the Sooners' coaching staff to The Sports Animal on Tuesday at Big 12 Media Day 2. "They know that's who I am and that's who I'll always be: a competitor on the field, fearless, and not scared to take any hits. That's why I wear pads and a helmet. (Pads) protect me, and sometimes you take a shot that hurts a little bit, but you get back up and you try and keep going."
Mayfield's ability to scramble, extend plays and occasionally run the ball helped the Sooners to a berth in the College Football Playoff last year, where they lost to Clemson in semifinal play. NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein compared Mayfield's style to that of former Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel. A more conservative Mayfield might not be as effective.
Mayfield, who has two years of college eligibility remaining, suffered head injuries against both TCU and Clemson. But he noted that the Clemson injury came only because he had thrown an interception and tried to make a tackle.
"Obviously, I'm working on taking care of the ball a little more, taking care of my body, maybe slide or throw the ball away here or there. But circumstances like that are going to happen," he added. "That's why it's football. It is a dangerous game, but I signed up for it."
Here are five other things we learned from Big 12 Media Day 2 on Tuesday:
2. Buechele makes impression. Texas freshman QB Shane Buechele, the son of former Texas Rangers third baseman Steve Buechele, hasn't needed much time to position himself for playing time this fall.
"He's a gym rat. He's always around the facility. When you have a guy like Shane working the way he works, it rubs off on the whole team," coach Charlie Strong said. "Now, everybody's seeing the way he works, and they all do it."
It might be somewhat telling of a team coming off a 5-7 season that a freshman is setting a work-ethic tone for the entire locker room. Still, Strong wouldn't likely be talking about Buechele in such glowing terms if he weren't already prepared to play him.
3. Russell feeling great. The neck injury that sidelined Baylor QB Seth Russell for much of last season is completely behind him. "Absolutely 100 percent, ready to go. I feel better than last year," Russell said when asked about his recovery. Russell was medically cleared for workouts in February.
4. Kelly comp. NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt compared West Virginia center Tyler Orlosky to Indianapolis Colts first-round draft pick Ryan Kelly on Tuesday, and called the Mountaineers' fifth-year senior one of the nation's top two players at the position.
5. Harbaugh humor. In clear reference to Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh's decision to take the Wolverines to Florida during spring break to begin spring practice, Bob Stoops had this quip about time off on the college football calendar, per Tulsa radio host John E. Hoover: "You get (two) weeks off, then for spring break you get a week -- unless you're at Michigan ..."
6. Quotable. "The first time coach (Kliff) Kingsbury put me with the (first string), they didn't even know my name. They called me No. 6." -- Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield on his days as a walk-on at Texas Tech.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
