Kyler Murray has developed into a pretty incredible football player. But let’s not forget just how good he was as a baseball player too.
Murray had a standout season for Oklahoma’s baseball team in 2018, which led the Oakland A’s to draft him No. 9 overall in the 2018 draft. Murray didn’t end up playing professional baseball because he chose to pursue football instead after the Arizona Cardinals drafted him No. 1 overall in 2019.
So, just how good was Murray entering college? The late Augie Garrido was coaching at Texas at the time Murray was a high school recruit from Allen, Texas. The legendary baseball coach described in comments with reporters just to what lengths he would go to get Murray as a recruit.
Soundbite gold on this date a few years back from the 🤘🏼⚾️ 🐐
Augie on “hypothetically” recruiting Kyler Murray. 😂#AG16 pic.twitter.com/KbOuaYWdju
— Stories Inside The Mancave Podcast (@StoriesMancave) January 24, 2022
“For [Murray], I would get in my car, drive down and pick him up, and give him the car afterwards,” Garrido joked.
Garrido was then asked if Murray was that good of a ballplayer.
“Yeah,” Garrido said. “So was (Johnny) Manziel. They’re a lot alike, except for the social part.”
Both Manziel and Murray ended up at Texas A&M. Murray ended up transferring to Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Trophy and also played great in the 2018 baseball season for the Sooners.
Garrido coached at Texas through the 2016 season. He died in 2018 at the age of 79. He coached a lot of great players and knew talent when he saw it.
Photo: Oct 24, 2021; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Houston Texans in the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
