Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray has the potential to shoot up draft boards if he opted to head to the NFL. Unfortunately, it’s been known that the Oklahoma Sooners star quarterback is expected to pursue a professional career in baseball over football following this season. In turn, those fans of Murray’s game may want to enjoy the final stretch of his collegiate career, barring a change of heart.
On Monday, Eric Bailey of Tulsa World revealed an update from Murray on his future and NFL outlook. He did add one small comment which stood out a bit in his statement.
Kyler Murray: I feel like I could play in the NFL but as far as giving (football) up, that’s the plan. #Sooners
It’s certainly worth noting that Murray says it remains “the plan.” In turn, those who are holding out hope that the Sooners star quarterback could flip the script and head to the NFL may be keeping their fingers crossed that he’s leaving the door open. The Sooners electrifying signal caller would certainly be an interesting prospect and has flashed plenty of upside.
The original report on Murray’s baseball future came back in August when The Athletic’s Jason Kersey reported that his agent, Drew Boras, stated he’ll switch to baseball after this season. This left little doubt on where things stood at the time.
“Kyler’s baseball career has a very defined path which includes playing football at OU for only the 2018 season,” Boras told The Athletic.
Murray was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft back in June. His impressive 2018 season may be playing a role in NFL teams taking note of 21-year-old, and there’s almost certainly some level of push on to have him test the football waters.
Kyler Murray’s Superb Season
After transferring from Texas A&M following the 2015 season, Murray played in seven games seeing very limited action in 2017. His breakout began this season, as he’s thrown for 3,674 yards while completing 70.6 percent of his passes. He’s also thrown 37 touchdowns against just seven interceptions while leading Oklahoma to an 11-1 regular-season record.
Murray has also been superb on the ground, rushing for 853 yards and 11 additional scores this year, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. His ability as a dual-threat quarterback only adds to the NFL intrigue currently surrounding him.
Although there’s surely interest from the NFL side, considering all the quarterback-needy teams, Murray has made no clear-cut comment pointing to a change of heart. With that said, Oklahoma has one game left before postseason play, and he hasn’t completely slammed the door shut yet. Unfortunately, even after his big season, it seems unlikely he’ll switch away from baseball.
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