Sumlin recruited Murray at Oklahoma and he just signed him as the Wildcats’ new RB coach.
DeMarco Murray ran wild in the NFL for a few years.
The former running back for the Cowboys, Eagles and Titans played in the NFL for seven years, rushing for 7,174 yards and 49 TDs. He was also a three time Pro Bowler, which included first team All Pro honors and being named the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2014 when, as a member of the Cowboys, he was the league’s leading rusher with 1,845 yards and 13 TDs. So it’s no question that Murray knows how to run the ball.
DeMarco retired at the end of the 2017 season and traded in his cleats for a microphone as a college football commentator for Fox Sports.
But the gridiron has called Murray again, this time in the form of Arizona Wildcats’ coach Kevin Sumlin. Coach Sumlin helped recruit Murray to Oklahoma, so that was a call the former All Pro was definitely taking.
“If anybody else would have called me, I probably wouldn’t have taken the job,” said Murray. “Knowing Coach Sumlin, knowing what he’s about, the kind of man he is, that was one of the main reasons.”
As a result, Murray is now the Wildcats’ new running backs coach. This is his first coaching gig, but his experience as a player had Sumlin dialing his number. And while he had been planning to remain in broadcasting for another few years, football was still running through his veins.
🗣️ | BUILDING THE 🅰️! @CoachSumlin @DeMarcoMurray #BuildingTheA | #BearDown pic.twitter.com/NLO82nqJEX
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) April 1, 2019
When asked why he didn’t stay with broadcasting in an interview with the Arizona Daily Star, Murray, now 31, recognized the opportunity he was presented with and couldn’t afford to pass it up.
“That was the plan, and get into coaching at 34, 35, later down the road. But this was an opportunity I felt would benefit me individually, and collectively as a team. I knew I could come in and help the guys. It was something I wanted to do.”
If his coaching talents can match his on field performance, watch out for the Wildcats’ backfield this fall.
