Texas A&M's Kyler Murray Can Become Next Great Two Sport College Athlete

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones toyed with Ohio State fans on May 1 when he jokingly announced on Twitter that he was transferring to Toledo.

"May fools," Jones wrote, moments after temporarily sending Twitter into a tailspin. 

The tweet sent from Texas A&M quarterback signee Kyler Murray on May 6 was not a joke. For that, Aggie fans, head coach Kevin Sumlin and fans of college football should be thankful.

Murray, a 5-star dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2015 and top tier Major League Baseball prospect, tweeted that he doesn't intend to play professional baseball straight out of high school, and will instead continue his career in College Station.

It's a bold move by Murray.

Guaranteed money and a longer average career as a middle infielder or center fielder in Major League is hard to pass up, especially for a player like Murray who was ranked as the 22nd-best high school baseball prospect in the country in 2015, according to Baseball America.

Pro baseball's loss is college football's gain, because Murray has everything it takes to be college's next two-sport star.

By going to Texas A&M, Murray keeps both of his options open in a place that's perfect to foster that development.

From a football perspective, Murray is with a program that is a perfect fit for his skill set.

Head coach Kevin Sumlin helped Johnny Manziel become the first redshirt freshman in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012, when the superstar threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns, rushed for 1,410 and 21 touchdowns and generally set the college football world on fire both on and off the field.

Murray has similar abilities on the ground and is extremely polished as a passer who can make the throws from sideline to sideline and deep downfield. At 5'10", 180 pounds, it might seem like his height could be a problem when looking downfield over the offensive line.

Maybe not, though.

"Texas A&M works out of a shotgun, so height won't be a problem for him," said Damon Sayles, national recruiting analyst for Bleacher Report. "It wasn't a problem at Allen, and as long as his offensive line does its job, it won't be a problem for him at A&M. All he needs is a couple of seconds to make a great play—and he's made more than his share of great plays."

LM Otero/Associated Press

Sumlin routinely moved the pocket for Manziel, who stands at 6'0". If those two inches do wind up making a world of difference, moving the pocket will open up passing lanes even further. 

Murray threw for 10,386 yards, rushed for 4,139 yards, threw 117 touchdowns and rushed for 69 scores during his three seasons as Allen's starting quarterback. During that time, he compiled a 43-0 record and won three straight state titles.

"Few athletes handle pressure the way he does," Sayles said. "I've watched him multiple times, and in a few occasions, he's had to come from behind to get a win. You never see him rattled; nothing ever fazes him."

Matt Strasen/Associated Press

There is a road block, though, in the form of former 5-star prospect and rising sophomore pro-style passer Kyle Allen. Allen inherited the starting job in November from Kenny Hill and finished his freshman campaign with 1,322 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a completion percentage of 61.5.

Despite Allen's status as the incumbent, Murray will get a chance to unseat him this summer, according to offensive coordinator Jake Spavital.

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"It’s going to be interesting to see how everything plays out," Spavital told the Studio 12 radio show (via: Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle). "I’m always going to give an incoming freshman the opportunity to come in and compete and try and win the starting battle. Kyler will have his opportunities to see if he can beat Kyle out."

On the diamond, Murray is an impact player for a Texas A&M program that is currently ranked fourth in the D1Baseball.com Top 25 and is projected by the website to host a regional in the quest to win the College World Series. 

He was limited by a shoulder injury this season for Allen (Texas) High School according to the Allen American, but his speed, versatility and a ability to put pressure on defenses once on base is viewed as a huge asset to that Aggies by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com.

Because he's playing quarterback for a high-profile football program and baseball for a World Series contender, Murray is the next Jameis Winston—minus the baggage, of course. Winston, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, doubled as a relief pitcher for the Seminoles where he notched nine career saves, posted a 1.94 ERA and a .209 batting average serving as a relief pitcher and outfielder according to his Florida State bio.

Winston gave up baseball after the 2014 season, which was the right move considering he was picked No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the most recent NFL draft.

Could Murray ride both sports to the professional level?

Unlike two-sport stars of the past like former Florida State defensive back/outfielder Deion Sanders and former Auburn running back/outfielder Bo Jackson, it's a lot to ask a professional NFL franchise to allow a quarterback to play play both.

Because of that, Murray will likely have to choose between the two sports at some point. 

"Trying to take it to the next level is a little bit different because of the talent pool on each side," Jackson said prior to Auburn's 2014 spring football game.

Until then, though, the college world is going to get a heavy dose of Murray.

For that, we should be thankful.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.