On DeMarco Murray With the return of DeMarco Murray to Oklahoma as running backs coach, there's a lot of good.
Lincoln Riley was the first to say that, officially, with OU announcing the hire of one of the most decorated former players in school history. He said quote:
"This is a really exciting day, being able to welcome one of our program's all-time best players back to Norman. DeMarco had a tremendous playing career both at OU and in the NFL and has a passion for coaching and helping young men grow as players and people. He's got an incredibly bright coaching future and will be an outstanding mentor to our players. I don't think there's anyone better to lead our running backs. Everyone in our program is excited to have DeMarco, his wife Heidi and their children as part of our family."
Murray not only ensures there will be a Murray on the field or on the staff for yet another year but also guarantees a recruiting advantage many programs could only dream of: star power. While there are plenty of former NFL veterans on college staffs across the country, none are as decorated or as close to the present-day psyche of 2021 and 2022 recruits today.
Only six years ago Murray was the NFL's best running back for the Dallas Cowboys. He gained over 1,800 yards on the ground and over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2014. The closest comparison to him in sheer production today might be New York Giants tailback Saquon Barkley.
It also helps that Murray entered the league only nine years ago and has remained a matter of public attention from the day he set foot on campus at OU to become the program's all-time leader in touchdowns. But Murray's star power is the most positive feature he brings to an already decorated coaching staff.
He doesn't bring a tremendous amount of experience from the sideline, and it'd be incorrect to say he was fast-tracked to one of the best coaching staffs and teams in America. He got to OU as a coach at warp speed. He only got started coaching in January 2019. And that's usually a tenure-track position.
Murray wasn't a grad assistant. He wasn't a quality control assistant. He wasn't even an offensive analyst. He's spent as much time as a television analyst as he has an assistant coach.
What he lacks in coaching experience can be learned, especially at OU, with the staff committed to helping him overcome many of the small impediments that can mount into large obstacles on a day-to-day basis. But all will be forgiven, even his lack of coaching experience, if can bring in a running back that can achieve as much as he did.
Murray was rated the No. 1 tailback in the 2006 class by some and lived up to that billing. For his stint at OU as an assistant to be a success, Murray needs to land a running back as good as he was coming out of Bishop Gorman and then develop him into one of the best in the country.
After all, Oklahoma was RBU long before Murray arrived. He's now responsible for achieving that standard year-and-year-out. As OU coaches themselves have said, the standard is the standard.
Join RJ's YT membership community:
🎧 THE RJ YOUNG PODCAST (iTunes) ➡️
RJ's newsletter:
RJ on Twitter:
RJ on Instagram:
RJ on Facebook:
RJ'S SHIRT STORE
SUPPORT RJ ON PATREON
//SEND ME STUFF//
P.O. Box 700445
Tulsa, OK 74170
//BIO//
RJ Young is the host of The RJ Young Show on The Sports Animal from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT weekdays. He has appeared on CBS Sports Network as a college football analyst and co-host. His book LET IT BANG was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2018. He was featured in Natural Light's 2019 Super Bowl commercial. He graduated with a master's in professional writing from the University of Oklahoma. He doesn't like it when his socks get wet.
#TheRJYoungShow
0 Comments