By Lew Patton
National Signing Day is today and many eyes in the state of Texas are locked on Kyler Murray. The four-star dual-threat quarterback from Allen, Texas is supposedly a solid verbal for Texas A&M, sometimes you just never know for sure until that National Letter of Intent is signed, sealed and delivered submitted through a fax. While Aggies fans are likely feeling good about the addition of Murray and beginning to dream about how he could flourish in Kevin Sumlin‘s offense, there could be something else that could get in the way of Murray being the next starter in College Station.
Baseball.
Murray is an accomplished baseball prospect that has caught the eyes of baseball scouts as well. Just last month Murray was ranked the No. 29 baseball draft prospect and many feel he could very well be a first-round draft pick in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft later this spring. Could the chance to get started on a baseball career prevent Murray from ever taking a snap at Texas A&M?
“He has a chance to go in the first round this spring,” MLB.com and MLB Network’s Jim Callis said to USA TODAY. “He’s the X-factor of this [year’s draft]. He can really run, put the bat on the ball, but there’s still some mystery about him.”
Callis says Murray could very well be a first-round draft pick in the MLB Draft if he has a good spring and shows an interest in signing a contract to enter a team’s farm system. It is a question that pops up every year after signing day and sees a handful of players pass on college football in order to get started in minor league baseball.
Just last year Tulsa lost kicker Cole Way to the American League champion Kansas City Royals. Nebraska wide receiver recruit Monte Harrison joined the Milwaukee Brewers after being drafted by the Brew Crew. And Johnny Manziel was drafted by the San Diego Padres, just in case that whole football thing doesn’t work out in Cleveland.
Odds are Murray will stick with football and try his hand at both sports at Texas A&M, which will allow him to develop in both sports and maybe even improve his future draft stock in either sport. Or maybe, just maybe, he can be the next Bo Jackson.
You never know.
