Heisman Winner
Kyler Murray
QB | RS Junior | University of Oklahoma
Kyler Murray won Oklahoma’s seventh Heisman — and second consecutive — thanks to a remarkable season in which he accumulated 4,946 yards of total offense and 51 touchdowns while leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.
Murray, who followed Baker Mayfield as quarterback at Oklahoma, is the first player to win the Heisman the year after taking over for another Heisman winner. His victory also marks just the fourth time a school has won consecutive Heismans.
He joined Billy Vessels (’52), Steve Owens (’69), Billy Sims (’78), Jason White (’03), Sam Bradford (’08) and Mayfield (’17) as Sooner Heisman winners. The seven trophies ties Notre Dame and Ohio State for most Heisman wins.
Murray was born August 7, 1997, in Bedford, Texas. The 5-10, 195-pounder attended Allen (Texas) High and was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for his football exploits, but he was also renowned as a star on the baseball diamond (he was considered a major prospect for the 2015 MLB draft).
Murray signed with Texas A&M and appeared in eight games as a true freshman in 2015 but, like Mayfield before him, he eventually found his way to Norman as a transfer. After sitting out a year, he served as a backup to Mayfield and then won the job outright in 2018. He more than filled the big shoes of the reigning Heisman winner, passing for 4,054 yards and 40 touchdowns, with another 892 yards and 11 scores on the ground while leading the Sooners to a 12-1 record, the Big 12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff. His passer rating of 205.72 was the best in Heisman history, eclipsing the mark of 203.76 set by Mayfield in 2017.
Accordingly, Murray captured the attention of Heisman voters. He polled 2,167 points to capture the award over Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama (1,871 points), and Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins (783 points).
Expected to bypass the NFL to become a Major League Baseball player, Murray instead chose football and was selected as the first overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
