Oklahoma's Kyler Murray voted best high school football player in Texas history

The eventual Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1-overall draft pick's legend began to grow well before he arrived on campus in Norman

Ryan Chapman | Apr 14, 2021

Oklahoma's Kyler Murray voted best high school football player in Texas history /

The legend of Kyler Murray was already being told before the quarterback ever stepped foot on Oklahoma’s campus.

Posting a perfect 42-0 mark as the starter at Allen High School in Texas, the three-time football state champion had been dubbed by some as the greatest high school football player they had ever seen.

The readers and staff of Texashsfootball.com agree, as Murray was recently voted the best player in the history of Texas high school football.

Kyler Murray / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Murray earned the honor over gridiron legends such as Ken Hall, Johnathan Gray, Earl Campbell, Doak Walker and Eric Dickerson.

Amassing 10,386 passing yards and 117 touchdowns through the air for Allen High School, the two-sport star added 4,139 rushing yards and 69 scores on the ground, cementing himself as the most prolific dual-threat start in the state’s history.

After an underwhelming freshman year for the Texas A&M Aggies, Murray transferred to Oklahoma where he would have to sit behind eventual Heisman Trophy Winner Baker Mayfield.

Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray :: Michael Chow/The Republic-Imagn Content Services, LLC

When finally handed his shot in 2018, Murray ensured he wouldn’t miss.

Despite getting drafted No. 9-overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft, Murray returned to Norman to play football, masterminding one of the great single-season performances in college football history.

Completing 69 percent of his passes, Murray threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns en route to leading the Sooners to the 2018 College Football Playoff.

Proving he could still be a dynamic runner at the highest level of college football, Murray also rushed for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns, including a memorable 55-yard scamper for a score against West Virginia in OU’s wild 59-56 road victory.

Murray would repeat Mayfield’s achievement, allowing Oklahoma to become the first school with back-to-back Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks, also becoming the second straight Sooner to be drafted first overall at the NFL draft.

Published Apr 14, 2021

RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK.