Texas A&M has now lost its top two quarterbacks after Kyler Murray was granted his release to transfer Thursday, according to ESPN. Murray followed in the footsteps of sophomore Kyle Allen who left the Aggies program last Thursday. Murray, a freshman, took to Twitter to express his feelings on the decision.
"He and his family got together and made a decision they thought was best for them. Obviously we didn't agree with it. But this program is not about one person or one coach."
Sources told ESPN that a multitude of problems led to the departures of Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, including how the quarterbacks were utilized, trust issues between the coaches and quarterbacks, the future of the offensive coaching staff, and uncertainty on the direction that side of the ball was heading. Sumlin indicated that no decisions will be made on any member of the coaching staff until after the team's bowl game. Texas A&M finished the season with an 8-4 record and fifth in the SEC in total offense but just seventh in the conference in scoring with 28.3 points per game. Nationally, however, it was the worst statistical season offensively under Sumlin, finishing 48th in the country in yards per game and 69th in scoring.
Kyle Allen initially won the starting QB job in training camp before relinquishing the role to Kyler Murray in the eighth game of the season due to ineffectiveness. Murray took over in wins against South Carolina and Western Carolina, sandwiched around a loss to Auburn. However, Murray threw five interceptions in the latter two games and was benched in favor of Allen for the final two games of the year.
Allen and Murray combined to throw 14 interceptions on the season. Only quarterbacks from Kentucky and Vanderbilt had more in the SEC. Allen passed for 2,210 yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with the interceptions, while Murray had 686 passing yards and was second on the team in rushing yards with 335.
Kyler Murray was a legacy recruit for Texas A&M as his father Kevin also played quarterback in College Station. The younger Murray decided to follow in his father's footsteps despite strong consideration to Oregon, Oklahoma and Texas. He was an all-time high school star at Allen High that saw him lead his school to three consecutive state championships and 43 straight wins to close out his high school career. The Aggie football team won't be the only squad affected by Murray's transfer, however. The two-sport star intended to play both football and baseball for A&M, as he withdrew his name from May's Major League Baseball draft.