Pierce started the first five games of Murray’s sophomore season, but after a loss to Coppell High School, Murray became the starter in game six. His ability to cut up defenses both through the air and on the ground made him one of the best players in the state.

Hoogerwerf: It was me and (Pierce) going back and forth for that job … But then Kyler just exposed his true talent and so we obviously moved him, and it clearly treated us well.

Coach Jeff Fleener: You see a great a player and he just takes it to a whole other level. He plays a different game than everybody else.

Guyton: The first time I caught the ball from him, I knew he was different. He was coming at a different pace.

Pierce: Everyone talks about how he can run, but he was taught his entire life how to throw the football. He can flat spin it. He’s the total package.

Hoogerwerf: You forget that anyone else is in the stadium. It’s like you’re just watching Kyler … He does things that make you forget that there’s anyone else around you.

Coach Tom Westerberg: There were games where we were blowing people out and then there were games we were down in the fourth quarter where he would just take over … When people know he’s going to work, and things weren’t going our way, he’d just say ‘all right, let’s get it done.’ Everyone expected him to make plays, and he did.”

Murray was an anomaly growing up, not because he played football and baseball, but because of the level he was able to perform at in both. It was always easy to him. There was seemingly nothing he couldn’t do.

Carter: He would be sleeping two minutes before a game, wake up and hit a home run in his first at-bat.

Hoogerwerf: Rather than a state of jealousy or state of anger, it became a state of awe. It was so much fun to watch him. I was watching greatness.

Pierce: He was just a pup his sophomore year — he took off his junior year. Just the way he carried himself, you were like, “Damn. This kid is going to be special.”

Hoogerwerf: He’s not going to settle for anything less. He’s going to be No. 1.

Tejan Koroma: Kyler is the best at everything he does. It’s that simple.

While everyone tends to focus on the athlete Murray has become, it’s video games, according to friends, where he really shines.

Guyton: Anything he does, he does it hard, like playing video games. FIFA, 2K, Madden, all that stuff.

Hoogerwerf: He wouldn’t let me play 2K with him anymore because he’s there to win, and I was holding him back.

Pierce: We played NCAA 14 and he would run the score up on me, and I would get so mad. All he did was go to school, play football and play video games.

Hoogerwerf: We played on the same team once in a FIFA tournament. He only let me use one button … We won the tournament.

Guyton: He would be the guy that could control 10 guys on the team, and I would be the guy that would just stand in the corner. He would coach the players as if they could hear him.

Murray is the same way on the football and baseball field.

Coach Fleener: For three years, I never had to yell at receivers to run hard on a route. Kyler was going to let them hear it and the whole field was going to hear it.

Guyton: If he sees something he doesn’t like or something isn’t right, then he will step up and say, “Let’s go, get your head out of your ass.”

Lee Morris: He’s always been a playmaker, and he’s always expected the best out of his teammates.

Coach Fleener: We used to have a little five-minute break in our practice after we did routes on air. There were multiple instances where he would say, “We’re not going to break. Get your butt back out here.” He would get after them.

Olootu Jr.: He’s so competitive that after practice he would make us do one-on-ones. Me, him and Guyton. We went at it.

Carter: Coach Fleener would always say, “You have to practice at that speed, not just flip a switch … Unless you’re Kyler.” Because he didn’t need to flip a switch — the switch was always flipped.

Coach Fleener: He doesn’t get guys that have to flip a switch to turn it on. When it’s time to practice, it’s time to practice. When it’s time to play a game, it’s time to play a game. He doesn’t understand pregame speeches. He doesn’t understand that need to listen to a song before they got out and play … It bothers him that guys don’t just walk on the field and the switch is on to be a beast.

Murray’s competitiveness has made him who he is today. The confidence and swagger showed throughout his high school career.

Beyond the DeSoto game, nearly every player shared their favorite “Kyler” moment during his career at Allen.

Hoogerwerf: I can pinpoint a moment when I knew he was future a Heisman contender … We were playing Plano West Kyler’s junior year. (Texas A&M coaches Kevin Sumlin and Jake Spavital) had just landed their helicopter in the open field right next to the football stadium, and Kyler had just broken a 70-yard zone read. I remember Sumlin and (Spivatal) were standing in the end zone and Kyler shook both of their hands after he walked across the end zone. And he just walked back to our sideline like it was no big deal.

Guyton: We were playing Hebron and they had subbed in the backup corner. Me and Kyler were on the same page, so he checked in a post play and we were both thinking touchdown. But I tripped on my own feet and fell, and the kid intercepted the ball … Kyler was pissed. We scored the next time we ran the play.

Carter: Halftime of the state championship his senior year, he was furious because he only had about 250 to 300 yards, and he felt that he should have 450 to 500. He was mad the offense wasn’t showing what they could do. He holds himself to such a high standard that it rubs off, which makes everyone else around him better.

Koroma: I remember when I became a fan of Kyler Murray, not just a teammate. It was against Mesquite. It was fourth-and-one, he was stuffed in the backfield, spun out, and went for six.

Carter: We had a playoff (baseball) game on a Saturday and Kyler had to take the SAT, so he was going to be late. I’m sitting in centerfield and he rolls up about 30 to 45 minutes late — we’re in the third inning. He’s so nonchalant, shaking people’s hands in the parking lot, and now he’s the first one up to bat with his shoes barely tied, and the first pitch he smacks a double off the wall. And that’s Kyler Murray in a nutshell … Oh, and we won the game. He hit a homer later.

Murray’s high school career will go down as one of, if not the best, of all time in Texas. But if it weren’t for one man, his father, he may have never reached his full potential.

Coach Fleener: Kevin gave him the opportunities and has that mentality, but he never pushed it on Kyler. He’s just one of those special kids that’s wired a different way. From 4 years old, he’s wanted to be the best and he’s willing to do the work to get there. It was Kyler that said, “Dad, let’s go throw, let’s go hit some balls.”

Koroma: I’d say he gets all of his confidence from his abilities.

Coach Fleener: I got lucky to be extremely close with him and his family. The one thing I will say Kyler did learn from Kevin is that circle of trust. He keeps his circle extremely tight as far as who he’s friends with, who he opens up with.

After Murray transferred from Texas A&M to Oklahoma, and rumors spread Kevin had something to do with it, Kevin shut off all contact with the media.

Coach Fleener: I think Kevin gets a bad wrap because of the way he treats the media, but he wants everything to be about Kyler. He doesn’t want any publicity, he doesn’t want any credit for anything because he knows how hard Kyler has worked for so long. You’ll notice on Saturdays they never pan to him in the crowd … He’ll never give them permission to do that because he wants the focus on Kyler.

Koroma: It’s all love over there. He wants the best for Kyler… And yeah, all parents are there to reassure you that you’re the best and his dad thinks he’s the best, and, hell, he might be.

Coach Fleener: I used to not do a single interview before unless Kyler and Kevin gave me permission. But with how this season is going, Kevin has told me I’m good … I’m getting two calls a week.

Kevin loves his son — no question about it. He believes he’s doing what’s best for Murray. And in the end, it was Murray’s decision to transfer, and man, did it pay off.

Murray was rated as one of the top recruits in the country out of high school. ESPN rated him as the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the country. But he also had a decision to make: Football or baseball? Or both? MLB scouts visited Murray throughout his senior year, wondering if the two-sport athlete would choose baseball while the football letters continued to stack up.

Hoogerwerf: I pretty much came in at halftime of every game my senior year, and that was cool for me because I got a bunch of playing time in front of D-I scouts … The coaches would always put our letters on top our lockers, and my locker was next to Kyler’s, so I would always come in early and slide all his letters to my locker … He didn’t buy it.

Koroma: I felt like it didn’t really matter where he went because honestly he felt, and I felt, that he would make that team great. I remember he would throw teams out to me and I’d be like, “Them too?” And he’d say, “Yeah, why not?” He was confident that no matter where he went, he would make them a better team.

Coach Lincoln Riley: Had a couple of good phone conversations. Ended up going down to Allen and met with him, had a really good meeting, hit it off. But, right before signing day, it was a little too much, too fast. Little too much ground to make up. So he went ahead and signed with A&M. Left it on good terms.

Coach Fleener: I said, “What do you want to do? What are you thinking?” He said, “I want to be a professional player, but I’m not done playing football. I’m 17 years old, and if I sign, they’re going to send me to rookie ball in June in the middle of nowhere, riding buses with guys that I don’t know, playing in front of 200 people and staying in cheap hotels … Or, I can go to A&M and play in front of 100,000 people in a game I still love and still play baseball … It’s a no-brainer to me.”

Murray chose his father’s alma mater. But after a tumultuous freshman season in which Murray started only three games and played in eight, he decided to transfer.

Pierce: There was a lot going on there, with Sumlin and everything else. I don’t think there was a lot of communication … He was probably looking for a little bit more transparency.

Koroma: I’m biased because I played with him and I think he’s great, so when he wasn’t playing at times, I was shocked, I was hurt. So when he told me he was going to get out of there, I figured it was the best decision for him.

Evans: I told him to go somewhere he’d a get a chance to show what he can do.

Coach Riley: (I) talked to Kyler pretty quickly after that, and his family. Got through the things we needed to get through. It happened in a matter of days.

His decision was mostly kept secret, but a couple people closest to him may have known earlier than everyone else.

Hoogerwerf: I don’t think he really talked to anybody about it just to keep it under wraps.

Olootu Jr.: I didn’t have any effect on the decision. I really didn’t know much about it.

Hoogerwerf: Steele might have known.

Pierce: I’m sure Steele had a little bit to do with it.

Steele Walker: I’d like to think I had a small part in him ending up at OU.

Walker has known Murray since the age of 12, playing on the same baseball team nearly their entire lives.

One week later, on Christmas Eve, Sooner Nation officially received an early Christmas present: one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

Evans: He told me over the phone.

Walker: I got a text.

Lee Morris: I got an ESPN notification and a text … We talked about the offense together and how it was going to be.

Olootu Jr.: He basically told me, “I’m getting ready to move, getting ready to move to Oklahoma.” I don’t ever question Kyler. I knew he had a good reason.

Guyton: I just remember thinking, “I hope he can get on the field ASAP,” because I knew as soon as he hit the field, it was lights out.

Olootu Jr.: Growing up, seeing him play, you knew that guy was going to do some damage. It was more of a matter of when and where than if.

Westerberg: I thought all along he gives (Oklahoma) so much — all the things that he can do, throwing the football and adding the run game to it, also. I think he’s pretty much what everybody’s looking for.

Koroma: I’m a fan — I couldn’t wait for him to play. He knew his time would come.

Murray’s career has taken off while at Oklahoma. While he had to sit out a year and play back up to 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, Murray has taken full advantage of his final season of football… Or is it?

Chapter 5: Kyler the (blank) player

When Murray was taken No. 9 overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft, everyone assumed Murray’s final season of playing football would come in 2018. But those close to him have a feeling 2018 may not be the last we see of Murray the football player.

Walker: He’s joked around a little bit about that with me.

Coach Riley: Is he one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached? He’s up there.

Olootu Jr.: Do both NFL and MLB? Yeah. If he wants to do both, he could do it — no question.

Koroma: If anyone could do it, it’s Kyler.

Hoogerwerf: I’m sure he’d love to do that being the competitor that he is. He would love to be a Bo Jackson or something like that … I think he has the skill set and work ethic to do that.

Coach Fleener: He loves the game. I always laugh when people say this is his last year. I’ll believe it when I see it. With that kid, and knowing people have done it in the past, I wouldn’t put anything past him.

In his two seasons at Oklahoma on the baseball field, Murray had a batting average of .261, 10 home runs and 53 RBI. He started 50 games his junior year. In his first season as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, Murray has taken the college football world by storm, becoming one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy.

Coach Riley: I know he can play in the NFL. There’s no doubt about that.

Pierce: Knowing Kyler, he probably thinks he’s going to be the Heisman Trophy winner and a starting NFL quarterback while playing baseball.

Adams: I don’t know what his plans are, but I know he could do it easily.

Koroma: I hope and I wish — I’m selfish — that I get to keep watching him play football. But I know whatever he’s got planned is great and the best for his future.

Coach Fleener: It’s different today — he has to be smart about the money and safety in baseball. He’s so much more seasoned of an athlete. But I will say this: as much as I’ve seen him play football and baseball, that energy that he gets on a Saturday afternoon in front of 100,000 people and on national television, that’s where you see him be him.

Walker: Right now, he’s a football player and he’s loving it. He’s all in.

Koroma: When I talked to him about it, he said he had a plan and that everything was going to work out.

Murray’s decision will be made soon — sometime following the season — and it may already be decided. Surely the “circle of trust” will know first.

His entire life, Murray has surrounded himself with the people he trusts the most: Family, friends, teammates and coaches. If you’re not in the circle, he may came off as cocky or closed off, but that’s not the case.

Walker: You’ve got his boys from Allen. And his teammates today and, of course, his family.

Pierce: He was one of the homies. He’s a likeable guy. Just a laid-back guy.

Hoogerwerf: Kyler has an interesting personality. I would describe him as “reserved.” He definitely has an inner group of his dudes, and if you’re in that, he’s incredibly loyal … There’s a bond that can’t be broken.

Coach Fleener: He’s very careful about what he says in public and around the media. In this day and time, anything you say can be taken a different way. So he’s very careful about what he says publicly. If you ask anybody that’s been a teammate of his, they’re going to say he’s the best teammate’s they ever had.

Guyton: He’s just like anybody else — if he doesn’t know you, if he’s not comfortable with you, he’s not going to show too much of himself. But when he’s with people he knows and that he’s comfortable with, he’s a chill dude.

Walker: By no means is he a “loner,” but it can appear that way sometimes. But that’s not the case. The dude has a great personality, outgoing, loves me, loves my family. He’s really an extension of my family.

Carter: If you don’t know him like that — I know a lot of people think he’s conceited, but honestly, he just doesn’t open up to a lot of people if you don’t know him. There’s a few people like Mayomi and Tejan that know him better than anyone.

Olootu Jr.: That’s my guy. We talk all the time.

Koroma: He was smart from day one. He knew he should surround himself with good people. He had a plan, a goal in mind, and I think that’s really impressive for him to have that maturity at such a young age to keep those closest to him in his circle.

Murray’s circle has changed over the years. But with each phone call, three names continuously come up: Koroma, Olootu Jr. and Walker.

Walker: He keeps the circle small. The people he trusts is small. But that’s not a bad thing. He’s one of the funnier dudes you’ll ever meet, but not everyone gets to see that. He’s very focused and knows where he wants to go in life.

Olootu Jr.: I feel like I only got one side of it, because yeah, he’s always around me and his friends, so we know him real well. I’m sure he has other people that I don’t know that have that same close connection with him.

Koroma: He’s a pretty big deal. He can’t just be hanging out with anybody and everybody. You can’t trust everybody. You don’t know other people’s agendas. It’s not so much that he’s cocky or anything like that, he just wants to keep his circle small … I think he’s just always been very mature. In the back of his head, he always knew he was going to be great. We just didn’t know it yet.

Now we know.