Sooners Land Commit with Mom
Just moments ago at a press conference at Missouri City (Texas) Elkins linebacker Kenneth Murray announced his commitment to the Sooners. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound prospect chose the Sooners over Texas and Texas A&M in his final three along with offers from Arizona, Baylor, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Nebraska among many others.
The talented edge rusher always seemed to like Oklahoma but it was his visit to Norman less than two weeks ago that truly sold him on being a Sooner.
"OU is everything I always wanted, from the position they want me at to the act of kindness they showed towards my mom the facility all (of it) is everything I want," Murray said at the time.
It seemed to be that act of kindness to his mother that really put the Sooners in a special light in Murray's eyes.
"It was a little thing, but it really stood out to me," he said. "The way the OU coaches and everyone on the staff treated my family, my Mom in particular, made me feel at home. She has a hip problem and had to take things slow during the tour. They went out of their way to make sure she was alright, had a cart to get her around, and just treated her very well."
Though Oklahoma's kindness definitely sold him his decision took far more into account than treating his mother affectionately. A big part of the equation was the multi-faceted connection to the Oklahoma coaching staff - including a new staffer that was his first ever scholarship offer.
"The really big thing about OU is that (defensive line) coach (Calvin) Thibodeaux was the first college coach to offer me after my sophomore season, but that was while he was coaching at Kansas. He's obviously at Oklahoma now, but I always knew he believed in me from the start," Murray recalled.
"Consistency, definitely the coaches being consistent and keeping up with me played a big factor. OU provides a great education for after football, and on top of all that, they have a lot of championships and are a consistent winner on the field."
One thing that might have been tougher to foresee was the relationship he'd quickly build with his, now, fellow classmates.
"Getting to meet some of the other commitments played a role in my decision as well. Levi (Draper) and I have a great relationship. I talk with CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Reagor, Robert Barnes, and a lot of the guys. I told them about my decision a few days ago and they were all happy for me. It's definitely a strong recruiting class and we are having fun with it."
So does he immediately become a recruiter himself?
"I will be a recruiter. I'm trying to win at the next level. I will talk with whoever we need to get and try to get them on board," he said.
And with that in mind Murray says there is no need to worry about his pledge as he is fully focused on his future in Norman and will actually be arriving early, along with several other 2017 Oklahoma members.
"100% done with recruiting, I'm committed to OU. I graduate this December and do not plan on taking any other visits. I'm keeping my word just like my father taught me," he said.
And he has a plan for where he fits into Oklahoma's future along the front seven.
"The coaches recruited me to play the outside linebacker, rush end position. They showed me some highlights of how they used Eric Striker and talked about how they moved him around and used him in their defense," he said. "I spent all of my time this summer getting ready for that position (but) I'm doing anything to help the team my senior season, even playing some free safety now."
Special thanks to Matt Clare of LoneStarPreps.com for his help with this story.