Before he became a Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma, Kyler Murray was one of the greatest high school quarterbacks the state of Texas — or any state, for that matter — had ever seen. Lincoln Riley undoubtedly made him a better player, but Murray doesn’t want to give the Sooners head coach all the credit.
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report college football writer Matt Hayes decided to praise Riley by asserting that Murray “didn’t remotely resemble a thrower” when he first arrived at Oklahoma.
Let’s not forget: Kyler Murray didn’t remotely resemble a thrower when he arrived at OU. The difference is @LincolnRiley
— Matt Hayes (@MattHayesCFB) January 16, 2019
Hayes was immediately ripped by followers and fans who reminded him that Murray led Allen High School to three Texas state championships and was 43-0 as a starting quarterback. Murray himself, who hadn’t tweeted since announcing on Monday that he has declared for the NFL Draft, also felt the need to fire back.
You’re sick.
— Kyler Murray (@TheKylerMurray) January 17, 2019
The comment Hayes made seemed like more of a compliment for Riley than a knock on Murray, but you can see why Murray would feel like it discredits everything he accomplished before he got to Oklahoma. After all, the former five-star recruit and No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country did throw for more than 8,000 yards and score a total of 144 — that’s right, 144 — touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons.
Murray obviously isn’t viewed as a pure passer, and that is one of the reasons NFL scouts aren’t as high on him as people expect. Still, saying he “didn’t remotely resemble a thrower” before he played for Riley is a bit of an exaggeration.
