Oklahoma football: A complete list of Sooners on award watch lists
Kenneth Murray – junior linebacker – Bednarick, Butkus and Wuerffel Awards
A talented and smart linebacker, Murray has been a starter in the middle of the Sooner defense since the first play of his true freshman year. Last season he had 155 tackles, 12.5 for loss and 5.5 sacks. He’ll have a chance to move his way up toward the top of the Sooners’ all time leaderboard for tackles should he choose to stay for his senior year next year.
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Handicapping his chances: We’ll start with the Bednarick Award first. This is given to the top defensive player in the country. The only Sooner to win it was Teddy Lehman back in 2003 and it was during a completely different era for Oklahoma defenses. To win this award not only would Murray have to have a season above and beyond his first two at Oklahoma, but the Sooners would have to be good enough as a whole on defense to undo years of subpar performances still fresh on the voters’ minds.
The Butkus would be more likely for Murray, though would still require a major jump in consistency from the junior linebacker. He certainly has the physical tools for such a performance, but there’s a question as to whether Alex Grinch and new linebackers coach Brian Odom can help bring the most out of Murray and help him get closer to his ultra-high ceiling.
The Wuerffel Award would probably be the most likely out of the three. Given to a player who combines both on and off the field excellence, it’s tailor made for someone of Murray’s high character. A team captain two years running Murray has become one of the team’s most stable locker room presences. There’s a real possibility he becomes the third Sooner (along with Gabe Ikard and Ty Darlington) to win this honor.