Oklahoma football: Kyler Murray’s diversion from the gridiron is in progress
By Chip Rouse
Faced with the decision of whether to sign a professional baseball contractor or play quarterback for the Oklahoma football team this fall, Kyler Murray chose both.
Murray was the top pick of the Oakland Athletics with the ninth overall selection in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft, held Monday through Wednesday this past week.
The dual-sport star in football and baseball at OU officially began his professional baseball career on Friday, when he signed his contract with the A’s organization, according to Susan Slusser, a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Murray signed a contract worth an estimated $4.6 million, which is consistent with the draft-slot value for the ninth overall pick.
Slusser and other media sources have reported that Murray reached an agreement with the A’s. perhaps even before Oakland selected him with the A’s top draft pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, to play one more season of college football, likely as the Oklahoma starting quarterback.
Murray has been projected as the OU starting quarterback, replacing Heisman Trophy-winner Baker Mayfield, although Sooner head coach Lincoln Riley has only said there is a competition for the starting QB job between Murray and redshirt sophomore Austin Kendall.
Murray will not be playing both sports at the same time. He reportedly will not begin his full-time services as a member of the Oakland A’s baseball organization until next February, when he reports to spring training in Mesa, Ariz.
Brooke Pryor, the OU beat writer for the Oklahoma City Oklahoman reported that Murray received an added bonus on Friday that was non-monetary in nature. He got the opportunity to take batting practice with the A’s prior to their game with the Los Angeles Angels.
Murray may not have to begin full-time baseball activities until next spring, but you have to believe that he won’t be able to completely separate his one-more-time football training and preparation from what will be waiting for him in professional baseball after the football season.
It may be Murray’s personal desire to end his college football career with the opportunity to be the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, but I am not certain that is the best thing for the Sooners. My concern is that there will be far more mental distractions than he may realize, and the quarterback position for one of the country’s best teams has to be the most focused position on the field, at least from an offensive perspective.
Regarding the risk for a football injury that could potentially impact his professional baseball career, the Chronicle’s Slusser reported that both Murray and the Athletics have insurance policies.
At his introductory press conference in Oakland on Friday, Murray was asked if it would have been a dealbreaker if Oakland did not allow him to play football at OU this coming season.
"“It was an understanding,” Murray said, as reported by the Oklahoman and multiple other news sources."
A’s general manager Billy Beane was quick to jump into the conversation, however.
"“We’ll make it easy,” Beane chuckled. “it was a dealbreaker for us (the Athletics) if he didn’t go back and play for the University of Oakland.”"
Beane went on to say that he was going to make plans to come see one of the games in Norman in the fall, most likely the UCLA game on Sept. 8.