It was a different Kyler Murray returning to Norman this weekend. There were times during his playing career where you felt like you maybe never knew the true Kyler.
Especially coming off such a heart-on-the-sleeve type of quarterback as Baker Mayfield, it was an adjustment to Murray’s personality.
His play on the field, however, needed no adjustment. As Mayfield was in 2017, Murray, of course, was in 2018 – simply dominant and the winner of the Heisman Trophy. Murray and his family were back in town for the unveiling of his statue in Heisman Park and embraced by OU fans and the current crop of Sooners.
“Special deal. I tell people, I envisioned winning a Heisman, but to do it, then be received this way by the whole town, city, school, teammates,” said Murray after OU’s spring game. “The recognition, it was a surreal moment, special for me and my family. It was a special deal.”
Murray let his personality shine a lot more, opening up his halftime address to the crowd by saying he picked the wrong school when attending Texas A&M for his first season in 2015.
But after landing at OU on Christmas Eve 2015, everything seemed to hit the right chord for all involved. Murray had limited chances behind Mayfield to do something in 2017, but the 2018 season was Murray’s time to shine.
And boy did he ever. The numbers don’t even sound real. Murray completed 260 of 377 passes (69 percent) for 4,361 yards with 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 more scores.
Mayfield was honored with his statue ceremony at last year’s spring game. The turnout for Murray’s shows even if he didn’t play nearly as long for the Sooners, he’s still beloved.
“Kind of brought back a lot of memories,” Murray said. “To see a lot of guys, even scout team, guys that they put it all on the line for us to go out and perform on Saturday and they didn’t get to reap the benefits as far as playing in the games. Just to see everyone, guys I haven’t talked to since I left, was really special. That means I was obviously good to them, they were good to me. We have this bond that will last forever.”
Head coach Brent Venables embraced the Murray weekend. Funny enough, we were one result away in 2018 from a Venables-led defense attempting to stop Murray.
Murray helped lead the Sooners to the college football playoff, but OU was unable to overcome No. 1 Alabama in the semifinals. Waiting in the wings if it had would have been Clemson.
Venables admitted he’s glad he never had to design a defensive game plan to stop Murray.
“And I'm not going to lie, several years ago, when I was at Clemson -- we're watching the Oklahoma-Alabama matchup,” Venables said. “I was like, of all the teams to hope for, I was hoping to play Alabama and not Kyler Murray as a defensive coach.
“I literally was like, 'I'm pulling for Alabama, I'm pulling for Alabama.' Pick your poison, but honestly, I was like, 'I do not want to face that guy.' So anyway, amazing player, man. It's a real joy to have him here this week and celebrate him.”
Murray said sometimes it’s been hard for him to appreciate the moments. All he’s known is being a winner and doing it at an elite level. It’s that same type of attitude that made him a first-round pick in the MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s as well.
But allowing him to soak in this weekend, you can tell just a little bit more about how truly memorable this weekend will be to him for years to come.
“This one was special just because the many reasons of how this happened, the many things I had to go through, sticking through it, being patient and trusting the process,” Murray said. “And on top of it, this place kind of molded me into who I am today. Which is special.”
