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Oklahoma football: Ranking the Sooners’ top 10 players entering 2018 season

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 16: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Tulane 56-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 16: The Oklahoma Sooners take the field before the game against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Tulane 56-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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No. 2 – Redshirt junior quarterback Kyler Murray

Although it has not been formally determined, odds are very high that Kyler Murray will be the Sooners’ starting quarterback when they open the season on Sept. 1 against Florida Atlantic. He will have giant shoes to fill in replacing Heisman-winning QB Baker Mayfield, who won 34 of 40 games leading the Sooner offense the past three seasons.

Murray, a two-sport star at Oklahoma, was drafted No. 9 overall (by the Oakland Athletics) in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft, and is expected to play football for just one more season at OU before turning his attention full-time to his professional baseball career.

A former Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school in Allen, Texas, Murray played one season at Texas A&M before transferring to Oklahoma.

Murray first season of eligibility at OU was last season. He appeared in seven games, with one start (he started the Sooners’ first possession against West Virginia when Baker Mayfield was suspended to begin the game because of making inappropriate gestures in a game against Kansas the week before).

Murray’s stat line for the 2017 season included 18 of 21 passing (.810 completion percentage) for 359 total yards and three touchdowns. His foot speed and quickness also makes Murray a dangerous running threat. He averaged 10.1 yards every time he carried the ball last season, including a run of 66 yards in the game he started against West Virginia.

The Sooners are hoping to utilize Murray’s dual-threat ability to add yet another dimension (the quarterback run game) to an already high-powered offense.

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