DeMarco Murray likely pushed over at least one domino on his way out as Oklahoma's running backs coach to head to the NFL and take the same position with the Kansas City Chiefs after six seasons on the staff of his alma mater, but only time will tell.
Although OU fans will rightfully knock Murray on developing talent and how he used it during his time in Norman, he definitely knew how to find that talent and could get those players in crimson and cream. His background as an OU great and former NFL All-Pro likely played the biggest factor in that trait.
But now with Murray gone, even as many OU fans celebrate the change, continuing that recruiting momentum will be the biggest challenge for the Sooners and whoever replaces Murray.
How DeMarco Murray's departure affects OU recruiting
After not getting a running back commit at all from the 2021 class, Murray landed a top-20 prospect at the position in all but one of the Sooners' last five signing classes, based on the 247Sports Composite, and half of those groups featured a top-10 running back. That most recently includes No. 4 2026 RB Jonathan Hatton Jr., who Murray flipped from Texas A&M before he signed in December.
That recruiting trend was already continuing for the Sooners' next two recruiting classes, as well. OU's No. 1 2027 recruiting class already has two running backs committed in three-stars Keldrid Ben and Jaxsen Stokes. Ben is the No. 17 RB in the class, according to 247Sports. Nothing is actually keeping either from changing their minds now, but Stokes did reassure his loyalty shortly after the Murray news broke.
“I’m still fully committed to OU. I chose the university and the staff before I did one single person," Stokes told Parker Thune of Rivals.
Nothing has come from Ben yet, though, and his recruitment has exploded since pledging to the Sooners.
The biggest concern, though, is Micah Rhodes, who is OU's lone 2028 commit so far and credited Murray as the biggest reason for wanting to be a Sooner. He made his decision only two weeks ago and is the No. 1 running back in the 2028 class.
Rhodes on Wednesday congratulated Murray on the career move via X, but he also made it clear in his first post after the news that he was upset. The Sooners still have a long time to keep Rhodes committed before he can even put pen to paper.
😔😔😔
— Micah Rhodes (@themicahrhodes) February 12, 2026
Although there's no denying Murray excelled on the recruiting trail and that could end up haunting the Sooners, of those top-20 prospects Murray landed, 2025 signee Tory Blaylock is the only one still with a chance to finish his career as a Sooner and none of the others even emerged as bellcow backs for more than a season, at least while at OU. In a way, that basically negates Murray's biggest advantage.
Murray's replacement will certainly look to keep Murray's targets committed considering their talent level, and the fact Murray can't take them with him helps, but unlike what Murray was unable to accomplish, the next running backs coach Brent Venables hires has to be able to actually do something with the talent when it gets to Oklahoma.