The Texas Recruiting Battle for Kyler Murray

The town of Allen, Texas, is a sleepy burg of 90,000 located just beyond the northern edge of Dallas. In 1878, according to local legend, Allen was the site of the first train robbery in Texas.

In the last few weeks, there has been another attempted heist in this dusty Lone Star town: The Texas Longhorns are desperately trying to steal one of the nation’s most coveted quarterback recruits, Allen native Kyler Murray, from the clutches of Texas A&M.

Murray, the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, committed to the Aggies in May. But he took an unofficial visit to Austin on Jan. 21 and tweeted a photo of a Longhorns No. 1 jersey—the same number he wore when he led Allen High School to three straight state titles in the state's highest classification with a 42-0 record as a starter.

For now, the 5’11’’, 180-pound Murray says he still plans on signing with A&M, but that won’t stop the Longhorns from trying to win the heart and mind of the 5-star quarterback before national signing day on Feb. 4. After all, if Texas coach Charlie Strong could flip Murray, it would be the signature recruiting victory of the Strong era in Austin.

“Texas is doing everything in its power to get Kyler,” says Jason Howell, a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “If you were going to compare Kyler to another quarterback, it would be Russell Wilson. Kyler’s a natural leader, he’s confident, he studies the game, is very polished, understands the importance of ball placement on his throws and is very accurate.

"Like Wilson, he can use his feet to set up the passing game, and he can tuck it and run. He rarely gets caught from behind. Kyler’s lack of height really isn’t an issue because of the way he plays and moves in the pocket to create throwing lanes. He’s just a special player and a winner. He knows how to get the job done. You can tell he’s been around the game his entire life.”

Indeed, Murray has had his own private coach since he first picked up a football at the age of eight: his father, Kevin Murray, who was a record-setting quarterback at Texas A&M.

In 1983, as a freshman, the elder Murray led the Southwest Conference in total touchdowns (17) and was second in total yards (1,643). He was a dazzling dual-threat quarterback, able to break tackles like a running back and throw 40-yard frozen ropes with a flick of the wrist.

In his sophomore year, he passed for a school-record 1,965 yards (the number has since been eclipsed) and led A&M to a 36-16 win over Auburn in the Cotton Bowl, where Murray outplayed Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson.

The elder Murray first took Kyler and six of his friends to a local football field in Allen when Kyler was in second grade. Kevin would line Kyler up at quarterback in the shotgun formation, two of Kyler’s friends would be wide receivers and four would play defensive back. At the snap of the ball, the father would tell the son whether to throw a slant route, a post, a comeback or an out.

So began Kyler’s education in reading defenses and understanding the nuances of the shotgun spread offense. Play by play, day after day, Kyler began looking more and more like his old man.

“Kyler really began to understand route concepts at the age of 10,” said Kevin Murray, who is also the owner of Air14, an academy that tutors young quarterbacks.

“I put him in the shotgun because I knew that was the type of offense he’d be best suited to play in college. And I always required him to read the defense and process the information. If door No. 1 wasn’t open, he needed to find door No. 2. At a young age, he showed an ability to dissect what was in front of him.”

Starting in sixth grade, father and son began watching endless hours of film together of various NFL quarterbacks. Sitting in their den, with a remote control in his hand, Kevin always asked Kyler after a play what he saw in relation to what just transpired on the field and whether or not the quarterback made the proper decision.

“My dad gave me a big head start by coaching me and teaching me,” Kyler said. “I was able to read defenses by the time I was in eighth grade and that was because of all the work I put in with my dad. And now I really feel like I can’t be stopped. I don’t want to sound cocky, but that’s just how I honestly feel. I’m confident. If a play breaks down, I know I can make something happen.”

This past season, Murray’s statistics were the stuff of video-game domination: In 14 games, he threw for 3,971 yards, 45 touchdowns and completed 62.6 percent of his passes. He also ran for 1,409 yards and 24 touchdowns.

LM Otero/Associated Press

“Kyler has such a command of the game and always has a powerful presence on the field,” said Tom Westerberg, the head coach at Allen High School. “His work habits are great because he gets them from his father. He can make all the throws and he’s one of fastest kids in the state. He’s special, no question.”

Since he committed to A&M, Murray has grown close to Johnny Manziel. The two text frequently, and Murray admits the notion of following in Johnny Football’s footsteps in College Station is a powerful draw.

Murray has been active in recruiting other high school seniors to join him at A&M—the Aggies currently have the No. 9 class in the country, according to Rivals—and his father’s connection to the school would seem to make Murray a virtual lock to honor his commitment.

But Strong hasn’t given up. Strong was a graduate assistant coach for the Aggies in 1985 when Kevin Murray was playing. And with the impressive debut season of soon-to-be-sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen at Texas A&M, it’s possible Murray won’t start for a few years in College Station—a point that Strong and Co. certainly have hammered to Murray.

At quarterback-starved Texas, conversely, Murray could contend for playing time next fall.    

What we do know is this: The recruiting battle for Murray is far from over. And his commitment will be freighted with significance, because it will reveal which direction the balance of power between these two heavyweight schools is shifting in the Lone Star State.