Kyler Murray claims pair of prestigious postseason honors

Kyler Murray picked up a pair of national awards Thursday.

The Oklahoma quarterback was named AP Player of the Year in the afternoon. Hours later at the College Football Awards Show in Atlanta, he was presented the Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to college football’s top quarterback.

Murray won the O’Brien Award over Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Washington State’s Gardner Minshew. Tagovailoa then beat out Murray for the Maxwell Award.

Murray is the fourth OU quarterback to win the Davey O’Brien Award.

By being named AP Player of

the Year, he joined former Sooners Baker Mayfield (2017), Sam Bradford (2008), Jason White (2003) and

Josh Heupel (2000).

Murray claimed 39 of the 56 firstplace votes. Tagovailoa finished second with 13 first-place votes.

The AP Player of the Year award was established in 1998. It has selected the same winner as the Heisman Trophy in all but five years.

Murray led the country with a 205.7 passer rating. He threw for 4,053 yards and ranked first in yards per attempt (11.9), second in passing touchdowns (40) and second in completion percentage (71 percent).

He rushed for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Football vs. baseball money

It pays to play baseball instead of football. Unless you’re an NFL quarterback.

Murray’s future, from what he has indicated, is in Major League Baseball with the Oakland Athletics. That doesn’t mean an NFL team won’t draft the two-sport star come April.

JJ Cooper of Baseball America laid out the financial implications of the baseball vs. football debate surrounding Murray.

“Considering he has less at-bats under his belt than his peers, he’s likely two to three seasons away from reaching the majors,” Cooper wrote. “And then he would be another three seasons away from arbitration. So his first big payday for baseball would likely not come until 2023 or 2024. His first chance at free agency would likely come after the 2026 or 2027 seasons. At that point, Murray will be 29 or 30, which means he’s likely to get one significant free-agent contract if he ends up being a very productive regular.”

Mayfield, as the No. 1 pick in the draft last season, earned a $21.8 million signing bonus and more than $32 million in guaranteed money.

“So if Murray gets drafted anywhere in the first round, he will earn somewhere between two and seven times as much money over the next five years in football than he will in baseball,” Cooper wrote. “If Murray is even an average NFL quarterback, he will make more than he will as anything other than an All-Star outfielder.”