Oklahoma Football: Kyler Murray Splitting Time Between Two Sports This Spring
By Chip Rouse
Sooner outfielder Kyler Murray missed Saturday’s baseball game with Texas, but only because he was busy back in Norman putting on a show at quarterback for the Oklahoma football team in the annual Red-White spring intrasquad game.
The former five-star recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year out of Allen (Texas) High School led off for the Sooners and played center field on Friday night in a baseball game at Texas, and on Saturday he was in uniform and on the field at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium showcasing what OU football fans can look forward to beginning this season, when he will be eligible to play for the Sooners.
Murray is a gifted two-sport athlete, who transferred to OU in the spring semester of 2016 after his freshman year playing quarterback at Texas A&M. While he is a gifted athlete in both baseball and football, his move to Oklahoma was, first and foremost, to play football.
A redshirt sophomore by eligibility, Murray was one of four Sooner quarterbacks who saw action in Oklahoma’s annual intrasquad spring scrimmage game.
OU baseball coach Pete Hughes calls Murray the “fastest player on the college diamond, according to an article written by Oklahoma City Oklahoman sports columnist Berry Tramel.
Sooner fans in attendance at Saturday’s spring game did not get to see how lightning quick and fast Murray is when he is at full throttle, because what OU coaches wanted to see more of was what he could do throwing the football in offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense.
Murray did not disappoint, completing nine of 13 pass attempts for 144 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jeffery Mead.
“He’s not one to get uptight. He’s a pretty relaxed guy. If something gets out of whack, he can take off and run it a long ways.” –OU offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley on Sooner QB Kyler Murray
Murray is reported to have run a 4.38-second 40-yard dash in one of the Sooner practice sessions this spring. By comparison, former OU star Dede Westbrook ran a 4.34 40-yard dash on his recent Pro Day at Oklahoma for NFL scouts and coaches. Joe Mixon’s time in the 40 on his Pro Day workout was 4.43.
Murray’s performance in the spring game all but assured him of the No. 2 quarterback spot backing up Baker Mayfield next fall. Oklahoma has additional depth at the quarterback position that it did not have a season ago. In addition to Mayfield and Murray, the Sooners also have sophomore Austin Kendall, who was No. 2 behind Mayfield a year ago, and freshman Chris Robison.
“He’s a pretty relaxed guy,” offensive coordinator Riley said to the Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel about Murray’s disposition.
“He’s not one to get uptight,” Riley said. “When you have the athleticism that he does, it’s not hard to be relaxed. If something gets out of whack, he can take of and run it a long ways. He’s got the athleticism to be able to get out of things…and he’s been in the system now for a year. I think he’s a lot more comfortable with what we’re doing.”
Murray played in eight games for Texas A&M in the 2015 season. He was second on the team that season with 335 rushing yards and 1,021 yards of total offense.
Oh, and as for what he has accomplished on the baseball diamond this spring, Murray has played in 16 games for the Sooners. He has made 44 plate appearances and has six hits for a .136 batting average. He was 0 for 4 at the plate on Friday night at Texas.