It was bound to happen eventually.
In today’s instant-gratification society, if a quarterback is not the clear-cut starter by his sophomore year, he starts looking for a different school. In 2015, there was not a school in America where the writing on the wall was more clear than Texas A&M.
The coaching staff played musical chairs with its quarterbacks all season long. First, it was Kyle Allen taking all of the first-team snaps as the Aggies roared to an impressive 5-0 start. Then, Allen, Kyler Murray and even Jake Hubenak rotated between being the starting, backup and third-string quarterback.
With Allen seemingly in position to start the bowl game against Louisville on Dec. 30 and potentially having a leg up on Murray — since he’ll spend his spring with the A&M baseball team — Aggies fans were shocked by his announcement of immediate transfer last Thursday.
Although the surprising move caused an epic reaction on social media, the few days to cool off has made it clear that there is a good chance it will ultimately work out in the Aggies’ favor.
Because Murray will no longer have to worry about beating out Allen every week, he can focus all of his efforts on improving as a passer and becoming the best quarterback he can be.
Hubenak will likely get a fair shot as well, but Murray is a former five-star recruit who never lost a high school game and won three consecutive state championships in Texas’ largest classification. He will have every opportunity to win the job.
Don’t be fooled, though. Allen was a terrific quarterback and a great Aggie. But his absence opens up the door for Murray, who possesses more upside than Allen. Murray showed flashes of brilliance in the games he played in, and while he made plenty of mistakes, it must be noted that he was less than a year removed from playing high school football. There is a major difference between high school defenses and SEC defenses, but now that Murray has gotten his feet wet, he knows he must get better to thrive.
Simply put, Murray can do things on the field that Allen can’t. Murray is an incredible athlete who excels in the zone read game, escaping the pocket and making plays with his feet.
The coaching staff thought that Allen — who is more of a pocket passer than a runner — was the answer. He wasn’t, and the Aggie offense sputtered during the back end of the schedule. In Allen’s last four games against SEC opponents, he led the offense to a total of three touchdowns while throwing five interceptions.
Regardless of whether or not he was injured, if he went through a mental shuffle after throwing three pick-sixes against Alabama or if the play calling wasn’t ideal, three touchdown drives in four games is not going to cut it.
Of course, Murray had his struggles too, and his success hinges on the hope that he will improve his ability to read defenses, learn to make better decisions and become a more effective leader. Kyle Allen’s transfer may hurt the Aggies in the short term. The duo of Murray and Hubenak might not have the offense firing on all cylinders against Louisville. However, by the time the 2016 season comes around Murray will be ready to roll.
Playing baseball might slow Murray’s progression a bit, but it’s been done before. Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes missed out on some practice time because of baseball and still managed to win the starting job and lead the country in total offense per game.
And if Murray proves that he cannot get over the hump and develop into a top-tier SEC quarterback, the Aggies always have 5-star Tate Martell waiting in the wings for 2017 and beyond.
Heath Clary is a business administration freshman and a sports writer for
The Battalion.
