Friday Featured Athlete: Heisman Trophy Winner Kyler Murray
When Kyler Murray stepped onto the stage at the 2019 NFL Draft to hold up an Arizona Cardinals jersey after being selected No. 1 overall, it was the culmination of a high school and college career full of absolutely gaudy stats.
Murray attended Allen High School in Allen, Texas. Murray was the 2014 Gatorade Football Player of the Year in his senior season. Over the course of three seasons, Murray led his team to three consecutive state championships, a 42-0 record and helped the team win 43 games in a row. He amassed 10,386 passing yards with 117 passing touchdowns along with 4,139 rushing yards and 69 rushing touchdowns.
Murray was ranked by ESPN, Scout.com and 247Sports as the best dual-threat quarterback and a five-star recruit out of high school.
Originally committing to Texas A&M, Murray planned on contributing to the Aggies' football and baseball teams. Murray was on MLB teams' radar for the 2015 MLB Draft and became the first player to ever be selected for the Uner Armour All-America Baseball Game and the Under Armour All-America Football Game.
Murray began his Texas A&M career as a backup to Kyle Allen but eventually became the starting QB after two straight losses. Murray joined Cam Newton as the only Southeastern Conference (SEC) QBs to pass for over 100 yards, rush for over 100 yards and score both a passing and rushing touchdown in their first career start.
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Murray would transfer to Oklahoma University after just one season with Texas A&M.
After sitting out a year, Murray became the backup QB to the eventual Heisman Trophy winner, Baker Mayfield. However, after Mayfield left, Murray became the team's starting QB and went on to pass for over 4,000 yards with 40 passing touchdowns. He would also win the Heisman Trophy award, giving the Oklahoma Sooners football program back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners.
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Despite being selected with the No. 9 overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft, Murray shifted his focus towards a future in the NFL. Murray would set a new precedent for NFL Draft analysts and set some impressive records.
He became the first player to be picked in the first round of the NFL and MLB Drafts, the first sub-six foot tall QB to be picked No. 1 overall and with his former teammate Mayfield, became the first pair of quarterbacks from the same university to be selected in the first round. Both Murray and Mayfield were picked with the No. 1 overall selection.
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