High school football in Texas is bigger than it is anywhere else. It just is.
And in the history books, there may be no greater high school football star ever in the Lone Star State than Kyler Murray.
The Arizona Cardinals' quarterback was once the most dynamic QB that Texas had ever seen. He suited up for Allen High School, north of Dallas, and he was unbeatable and unstoppable.
Sure, pretty much every NFL player was a star in high school.
But Murray? He was like the sun, and everything orbited around him.
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Kyler Murray's high school stats
Even in a state where the competition and skill level are higher than just about anywhere, Murray shone bright on the high school football fields in Texas.
In his junior and senior seasons combined, he threw for 7,640 yards and 91 touchdowns while running for another 2,737 yards and 42 TDs.
Below is a year-by-year breakdown of Murray's high school football stats (all stats via Max Preps).
Junior year
| GP | 16 |
| Pass yards | 3,669 |
| Pass TDs | 46 |
| INTs | 9 |
| Comp. % | 63.7 |
| Rush yards | 1,328 |
| Rush TDs | 18 |
| YPA | 8.3 |
Senior year
| GP | 16 |
| Pass yards | 4,715 |
| Pass TDs | 54 |
| INTs | 7 |
| Comp. % | 64.2 |
| Rush yards | 1,498 |
| Rush TDs | 24 |
| YPA | 9.9 |
Murray opened his senior season with a 55-41 win over Guyer. That day, Murray completed 20 of 31 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing seven times for 106 yards and another touchdown.
Murray's junior season opener against Carroll was potent, too. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 466 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another 80 yards and two scores on 18 carries.
Kyler Murray's high school record
Kyler Murray never lost in high school.
He was 42-0.
That included three consecutive state titles.
In 2015, his high school coach told Sporting News that the record in itself is "just unbelievable."
“At the next level, I don't see it a bit different,” Allen coach Tom Westerberg said. “He kind of demands everybody plays at a high level. I think they're going to get a winner whatever program he goes to."
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Murray couldn't lose at 'Jerry World'
Of Murray's three state titles, the final two were played at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Both games drew more than 50,000 fans.
As a junior, Murray and Allen beat Pearland in the title game, 63-28. Murray threw for 280 yards, ran for another 188 and scored five total touchdowns. As a senior, Murray's squad won 47-16 against Cypress Ranch. He again scored five total TDs while passing for 316 yards and rushing for 63 more.
Murray played at "Jerry World" in college, too.
That's where his Oklahoma team beat Texas in 2018, 39-27. Murray only ran for 39 yards that day, but it's because he threw all over the Longhorns to the tune of 379 yards and three scores.
Is Kyler Murray the best Texas high school football player ever?
He has a compelling case.
Sporting News spoke with the managing editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football, Greg Tepper, in 2015. That publication has covered local football in Texas for more than six decades. Tepper wasn't afraid to put Murray right up near the top of the Texas list.
“If Earl Campbell played in the social media age it would be similar,” Tepper told Sporting News in 2015. "... I don’t feel comfortable saying he is unequivocally the best high school player in Texas high school history. But if somebody else wants to come up and say that I won’t argue against it.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram did a survey prior to the 2019 season to see who local players, coaches and media thought was the best Texas high school football player ever. The leading vote-getter was Johnathan Gray, who went on to play at Texas. As a senior, Gray rushed for 3,891 yards and 65 touchdowns.
Murray tied for second place in the voting with the late Cedric Benson, who also went on to play at Texas before playing in the NFL for the Bears, Bengals and Packers.
Some of the players Murray outvoted: Campbell, Dez Bryant, Myles Garrett and Robert Griffin III.
He's certainly among the Texas high school GOATs.
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