Why Kyler Murray Would Not Be a Great Fit at Texas

The Kyler Murray era at Texas A&M is over far before anyone pictured. The Aggie legacy and Texas high school football legend announced last week that he was transferring after just one season in College Station.

The news came shortly after reports circulated that the former 5-star prospect was considering leaving:

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— Kyler Murray (@TheKylerMurray) December 18, 2015"

Where Murray ends up now is anyone's guess, but one landing spot that has been thrown around is Texas. Murray took an unofficial visit to Austin days before national signing day in 2015, giving Longhorns fans a brief feeling of hope that perhaps they could flip the former No. 1-rated dual-threat prospect.

And Texas needs a boost on offense.

The Horns ranked eighth in the Big 12 in points per game and seventh in yards per play. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard had moments when he looked like the quarterback of the future, but he struggled with injury and consistency issues.

However, according to Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods.com, Texas is not interested in Murray's services:

There are good reasons not to be interested. It has nothing to do with the kind of player Murray may develop into—it's simply not the right fit.

It begins with the fact that Murray wouldn't be able to help Texas during its most critical year yet under head coach Charlie Strong.

If Murray transfers to Texas, he must sit out the 2016 season to satisfy NCAA rules.

Unofficially, 2016 is a make-or-break year for Strong, who's had consecutive losing seasons. If Strong isn't able to get the wins needed to save his job, there's a good possibility an entirely new coaching staff is in place by 2017.

Earlier this month, Strong hired Tulsa offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert to the same position to turn the offense around. It's a high-risk, high-reward hire since Gilbert realistically has a year to produce good enough results so that everyone keeps his job.

If Murray goes to Texas and things don't work out with Strong, he could be on his third different coaching staff in as many years with only eight game appearances to his name. That wouldn't be beneficial to him or his development.

Murray is a tremendous athlete who can make plays with his feet, but he clearly struggled to adjust to the speed of the college game as a passer.

LM Otero/Associated Press

That's OK. He was only on campus for a few months before playing in his first college game. What he needs is time to grow into the position.

Ultimately, Murray has to look out for what's best for himself.

As does Texas, which will have several scholarship quarterbacks in the spring. There's Heard, Tyrone Swoopes and freshman Kai Locksley, but 2016 commit Shane Buechele—the No. 2-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country—has already signed a financial aid agreement to enroll early. Additionally, Texas has a verbal commitment from 2017 3-star quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

If Texas brought Murray aboard, it's possible it could lose out on one or both of those players.

The last thing Strong needs at this point is to sever ties with Texas high schools. The network of in-state high school coaches runs deep, and more than one article has been published suggesting that Strong and the Longhorns staff have failed to properly build relationships over time.

So if Texas and Murray aren't fit for each other, where do they go next?

Texas' situation is self-explanatory. The Longhorns need major development at quarterback and a new identity on offense capable of winning Big 12 games—and they needed those things yesterday. But the reality is Strong will have to orchestrate a dramatic turnaround with the players he already has while hoping the Gilbert hire works out.

Murray's future is a bit more clouded. A&M has granted Murray's release to schools outside the SEC and opponents on the schedule over the next four years, per Gerry Hamilton of ESPN.com. He'll have plenty of interested parties approaching him in the near future. He's likely heard from some already.

He could do the basic transfer: Sit out 2016 and compete for a starting job the following year.

Or he could try the junior college level, which as Travis Haney of ESPN.com notes, would allow him to play right away. He could then transfer to any place he wants the following year.

Then there's the baseball track.

In addition to being a high school football star, Murray was an accomplished baseball player. Before opting out of the MLB draft in May, Murray was thought to be a possible first-round pick. Keith Law of ESPN.com ranked him as the 32nd-best player in the draft (via Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com).

At 5'11" and 180 pounds—as someone who's seen him up close, I can tell you that's a little generous—Murray's future likely doesn't include playing quarterback in the NFL. Guys like Russell Wilson and Doug Flutie are the exceptions, not the rule.

With baseball, Murray can potentially earn far more money than he'd ever make playing football while enjoying a longer career.

That's not to say he can't do both in college—former Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston did—but he'll eventually have to make a choice.

No one here is telling him what to do, but the baseball path looks enticing.

Whatever happens, here's hoping Murray figures out the right move for him. Choosing a college and expecting to succeed right away puts a lot of pressure on someone who's not even 20 years old. As for Texas, quick-fix transfers aren't going to be long-term solutions to rebuilding the program, and they don't always work out in the short term, either.

There was a brief moment when it looked like Murray and Texas could be an item. In this instance, it would be best for both sides to leave it at that moment.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.