Commit GIF Breakdown: Kenneth Murray

Commitments continue to pour into Oklahoma with Wednesday’s announcement by Missouri City (Texas) OLB Kenneth Murray that he will be playing his college football in Norman.

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Murray is going to draw comparisons to Eric Striker, as will every undersized outside linebacker for the foreseeable future.

Now, no one is predicting Murray to produce like the linebacker with most sacks in Sooner history, but he does some things well to utilize the skills he does have in the arsenal to maneuver amongst the big uglies.

For instance, on this play watch as he identifies the outside shoulder, uses a rip move to get under the larger left tackle, and then have the speed to not just force the quarterback out of the pocket, but to finish off the sack.

With how aggressively Oklahoma uses their outside linebackers, teams attempt to offset that with a series of draws and screens to slow down the Sooner defense. It’s important for those pass-rushers to be able to recognize a free release, as Murray does on this play and blows it all up.

Having the awareness and football I.Q. to diagnose those plays is exactly what makes the difference between a talented guy standing on the sideline versus seeing the field.

Murray also possesses more strength, especially in his upper body, than some may realize. The three-star outside linebacker utilizes a myriad of hand moves mostly when rushing the passer and can easily shed blocks by receivers or running backs, as he does on this next play.

And obviously the newest Oklahoma commitment has the most important attribute if you want to be an undersized outside linebacker – speed. In order to handle this role, one must be able to turn the corner around the edge and chase down ball-carriers from the back side. It provides that extra element you force an offense to account for.

Murray is similar to current OU linebacker and JUCO transfer Kapri Doucet, except he will have the benefit of immediately being placed into an elite division one training and nutrition program once he steps foot on a college campus. This is a nice addition by the Sooners, who will need quality depth if they’re going to continue to field four linebackers on the field at a time.