Kyler Murray made national headlines this week when Billy Liucci of TexAgs reported that he intended to transfer away from Texas A&M immediately.
A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin met with Murray and his dad, former Aggie quarterback Kevin, to try to change the quarterback's mind, but it was to no avail. However, multiple outlets on Thursday afternoon confirmed that Murray will indeed transfer.
While that sparks a ton of speculation about what this announcement means for A&M, what is even more intriguing is where Murray plans to go.
He was seemingly entrenched as the starting quarterback for the Aggies' upcoming bowl game against Louisville, as well as the 2016 season after Kyle Allen decided to transfer. Yet that was not enough to keep the Texas high school football legend and former blue-chip recruit in College Station.
Murray went 43-0 and won three state championships as a high school quarterback at Allen High School. (LM Otero/Associated Press)
So, what are some possible destinations for Murray?
Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon and TCU have all been mentioned as potential landing spots, but there is a place about seven hours northwest of A&M that piqued my interest.
Texas Tech, up on the the High Plains in Lubbock.
The most obvious reason that makes this a possibility is Murray's tremendous relationship with Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Apparently, last year when Murray was making his decision on where to attend college, he almost shocked the world by committing to Texas Tech.
"I'm not going to lie, there was one point where I went down and I came back - and I was sold," Murray told Corbett Smith of the Dallas Morning News. "Me and Kliff … that's my dude. We're real tight. Like I said, I called him and asked him for his opinion on this. It was just whether or not I could get the dudes to come down with me. I was really enticed, intrigued by Texas Tech."
Kingsbury's incredible reputation as one of college football's most innovative offensive minds is likely instrumental in Murray's opinion of him, but there are also other indications that Kyler Murray would be a nice fit in Lubbock.
For one, he fits Kingsbury's offense like a glove. The Air Raid offense that the 36-year-old has installed at Tech has already proven to be all kinds of potent, but it is also no secret that it is even more effective with a dual-threat athlete playing quarterback.
Picture what Kingsbury was able to do with Johnny Manziel in his freshman season at A&M, and then think about what he could do with Murray, who possesses even more talent than Manziel did at that age if you compare their recruiting profiles.
Kingsbury was a catalyst behind Johnny Football's Heisman-winning campaign, could he do the same with Murray? (John Weast/Getty Images)
Simply put, Murray and Texas Tech would be a terrific marriage that would benefit all parties involved. Murray would have to sit out the 2016 season, which would give him ample time to learn the nuances of the offense and watch Patrick Mahomes carve up defenses.
2017, however, would offer an interesting time for this hypothetical situation. At this point, Mahomes would be a senior and heading into his third year as the Red Raiders' starting signal-caller. But while that would certainly be an obstacle that would need to be addressed, Kingsbury could make it work.
He could tailor a few specialty packages for Murray, likely made up of predominately quarterback run plays. Murray has already shown he can thrive in this role - he displayed a tremendous ability to run the ball against Arizona State and South Carolina this season as an Aggie - and there is no reason he couldn't do it against Big 12 defenses.
Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (John Weast/Getty Images)
Now, a legitimate argument can be made that Murray-to-Tech would never work because Murray would never agree to go to a new team that couldn't guarantee him a starting job as soon as he was eligible. But the counter to that is simple; Murray's transfer is not solely about playing time. If it was, then why would he leave his situation at Texas A&M where he was in line to start next season as the QB?
No, his transfer away from A&M was due to something bigger than that. There were likely some things going on within the coaching staff that Kyler and Kevin were not impressed with.
Which is why playing for Kingsbury would be so beneficial. There is obviously plenty of respect from the Murray's end, and one would assume that Kingsbury loves Murray's talent. Kingsbury is undoubtedly one of the best offensive playcallers and developers of quarterbacks in the country, both of which could work wonders for Murray.
Furthermore, maybe Murray is more interested in pursuing a career in baseball after his debut season of college football didn't go as planned. After all, Murray is an incredibly talented baseball player who had a legitimate chance to start on the Texas A&M baseball squad next spring.
If that is the case and Murray wants to switch his primary interest to baseball, Tech could fill that role. The Red Raiders advanced all the way to the College World Series in 2014, and they still have a talent-filled roster that has the potential to accomplish special things in the near future under third-year head coach Tim Tadlock.
Meanwhile, Murray could spend his free time - the baseball offseason - on the gridiron, enjoying the success that seems to be just on the horizon for Kingsbury's unit. And by the time Murray's junior season rolled around, he could be in line to fill in Mahomes' shoes as the starter.
Or, if Mahomes can build on his outstanding 2015 campaign - he led the country in total yards of offense per game - and garners enough attention from NFL scouts that he bypasses his senior year for the draft, Murray could start as early as his redshirt sophomore season.
There are certainly plenty of obstacles to this plan, and there are definitely a plethora of reasons why this hypothetical will never happen, but if Murray is interested in playing for a young and innovative coach that he respects, playing baseball for a program that is on the rise and getting a chance to play in an Air Raid offense that clearly fits his skills, then Texas Tech is the place for him to go.