Like most college football players Chris Murray has aspirations of playing in the NFL on day. And, like most college football players he wants to be in the best position possible to have his name called in the NFL Draft. That’s why the junior-to-be made the decision to transfer from UCLA to Oklahoma.
“I just felt like going there I could take my game to another level as far as development and the environment,” Murray told 247Sports last week. “I felt like I could be challenged every day in my last three years of college football. Just the talent and the mentality. I was able to see what they’re on, and it’s the type of mentality I want to be a part of. I feel like Coach B, he’s one of the best offensive line coaches in college football. I just felt comfortable putting my future in his hands on and off the field.”
Murray definitely has the foundation that could easily lay a path towards the NFL. He was a 4-star recruit coming out of Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California) and earned 17 scholarship offers as a member of the 2018 recruiting class.
After arriving to UCLA he put his 6-foot-3/300-pounds of talent on display and became an immediate starter as a true freshman. His efforts during the 2018 season earned him a spot on the Freshman All-American team and seemingly set him on a path towards stardom. Something seemed to be missing though.
Following the 2019 season Murray decided to seek a transfer. That’s where Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh joins the story. The Sooners didn’t offer Murray a scholarship out of high school but just two days after seeing his name in the transfer portal Bedenbaugh was on the phone with him.
Oklahoma’s coaching staff had already received an up close and personal look at Chris Murray. The Sooners hosted the Bruins in 2018 and then made the trip to Pasadena to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl last September. Those games also gave Murray all the looks he needed to know that Bedenbaugh’s reputation for developing offensive linemen into NFL Draft picks was more than solid. Both parties liked what they saw from across the field.
“Oklahoma is known for offensive linemen,” Murray said in his 247Sports interview. “They put out offensive line every year. The standard they hold for offensive linemen over there – you have to have a great o-line – it’s something I want to be a part of.”
With both sides finding a mutual interest in each other, all Murray needed was a plan and opportunity. He found both at Oklahoma. Barring the NCAA granting some sort of waver, he will sit out the 2020 season and have the opportunity to compete for a starting job at either guard or center.
Oklahoma had four offensive linemen taken in the 2019 NFL Draft. In 2018 Orlando Brown was selected in the third round, by Baltimore, and soon proved to be a steal in that year’s draft. Since arriving on campus, prior to the 2013 season, Bill Bedenbaugh has sent a total of eight linemen to the NFL through the draft. That one piece of information was more than enough to tip the scales in Oklahoma’s favor when it came to landing one of the most coveted offensive linemen in the transfer portal.
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