DeMarco Murray officially joined the Oklahoma coaching staff Monday after spending the previous season at Arizona.
Murray returns to Norman to coach running backs. He is the Sooner’s career leader in all-purpose yards and touchdowns.
"This is very surreal," Murray, 31, said in a news release. “Obviously, I never thought I'd be back coaching at the place where it all started for me. Having the opportunity to come back and be among great coaches and be with some of the people I grew up with is exciting. I'm thankful for the opportunity Coach (Lincoln) Riley is giving me, and I'm looking forward to being back home.
"Football has always been a passion of mine. I've been fortunate to have had a lot of coaches and friends work with me throughout my career and give me great tools, and I feel like it's only right to give back to young student-athletes.”
One of those coaches is Kevin Sumlin, who, as an OU assistant, recruited Murray to Norman. Sumlin then persuaded Murray to leave the broadcast booth to coach the Wildcats’ running backs last season.
"Coach Sumlin gave me that first chance to coach, and I appreciate everything he's done for me,” Murray said. “I've known him dating back to when I was 18 or 19 years old at OU. He's always been a great friend of mine, and we stayed in constant communication after he left OU and throughout our careers.
“He's a great guy who always creates a fun environment for his staff and players. I appreciate him taking a chance on me, and I learned a lot from him last year."
Murray coaxed excellent production out of the UA running backs this past season despite injuries to that group and the offensive line. Arizona averaged 174.0 rushing yards per game, third most in the Pac-12. J.J. Taylor, who’s prepping for the 2020 NFL draft, compiled 1,010 scrimmage yards and had a career-high 32 receptions in 11 games.
After accumulating 6,718 all-purpose yards at Oklahoma, Murray became a third-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys. He was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2014, when he totaled 2,261 yards from scrimmage.
Murray played three more seasons, with Philadelphia and Tennessee, before retiring. He spent one season as a college football analyst for Fox Sports before transitioning to coaching.
Arizona always knew it would be difficult to retain Murray, who showed an immediate aptitude for coaching and recruiting. Sumlin already has begun the process of finding Murray’s replacement. Whoever succeeds Murray will be Arizona’s fourth running backs coach in as many seasons.
