While the sports world awaits Kyler Murray’s big decision, one baseball observer already has made up his mind about college football’s brightest star.
An anonymous Major League Baseball scout believes the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback lacks the maturity required to succeed in the “real baseball world,” according to a report Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel published Thursday. Murray is scheduled to join the Oakland Athletics in February for spring training but he reportedly also is considering entering the NFL draft following his stellar 2018 season on the gridiron. His apparent hedging has planted seeds of doubt in the mind of at least one MLB scout.
“I have serious doubts he loves baseball enough to grind it out in the minors,” the scout told Thamel. “I just think Kyler is pretty immature mentally and I’m not sure he can handle the real baseball world given that he’s raw and famous.”
Murray, a center fielder, batted .296 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases for Oklahoma in 2018. The Athletics selected Murray ninth overall in the 2018 draft and paid him a $4.66 million signing bonus with the understanding he’d give up football after the 2018 college football season.
However, he has thrown for 4,053 yards, 40 touchdowns and 7 interceptions and rushed for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this season, his first as a starting quarterback. His shining performances for Oklahoma earned him the 2018 Heisman Trophy and rocketed his name up NFL teams’ potential draft boards. Some now are projecting him as a late first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He has until Jan. 14 to declare as an early entrant for the NFL Draft, but more pressing business will remain on his plate prior to that date: Oklahoma will face Alabama on Saturday in the Orange Bowl, with the winner advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which will take place Jan. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
