SwiftBlog

One night, in the spring of 2013, nearly 20 college coaches stood inside the indoor fieldhouse at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, waiting for a workout to begin.

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost was there. So was Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Hermann, Texas’ Major Applewhite and Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury. The workout had been arranged because the player with the ball in his hands also played for Allen’s baseball team, which had held a practice that afternoon.

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The workout, which lasted less than an hour, consisted of the quarterback throwing to a couple of receivers. When it was over, Kingsbury walked over to Allen offensive coordinator Jeff Fleener and said, “I really want to coach that guy.”

“I said, ‘Yeah, you really do,’” Fleener recalled.

Six years later, Kingsbury finally is getting his chance to coach Kyler Murray.

It’s not unusual for a coach and a player to develop a close relationship. It is unusual for a coach to become tight with a player he’s never coached.

But that’s the case with Kingsbury and Murray. The bond between the Cardinals’ first-year coach and the 2019 No. 1 overall pick transcends their future on-field rapport. It is a connection born of mutual respect, admiration and a large portion of swag.

“Me and him have had a relationship since I was like 15 years old,” Murray said. “This is something we’ve talked about for a long time. It’s been a long time coming. God works in mysterious ways. For me to be playing for him now is a surreal feeling.”

The two men got to know each other when Murray took an official visit to Texas Tech the fall of his junior season. Murray returned to Allen fairly sure he wouldn’t be going to the school; he wasn’t a big fan of Lubbock, Texas, and he was certain he’d have a difficult time convincing other five-star recruits to join him.

But he couldn’t stop talking about Kingsbury.

“I remember when he came back, the No. 1 thing he said was, ‘Man, that’s my all-time dude. I would do just about anything to play for that guy,’” Fleener recalled.

Kingsbury and Murray hit it off because of their commonalities. Kingsbury already had earned a reputation as a bit of a quarterback whisperer, having guided Case Keenum and Johnny Manziel at Houston and Texas A&M, respectively. He also had played the position, first at Texas Tech and then, briefly, as a sixth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2003.

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But what truly brought them together was a shared personality. Both men are quiet, purposeful and serious-minded. They speak with an economy of words and emotion.

“I think they’re both very driven people,” former Allen head coach Tom Westerberg said. “I think they’re both driven to win and they kind of cut out some of the outside nonsense. Some guys may not be able to concentrate and knock stuff out of the way but those two can.”

They also share a confidence – perhaps even an arrogance – that is unspoken.

“They’re two of the most competitive people I’ve ever met in my life,” Fleener said. “They try really hard when they do interviews to give off the right humble answer but both really in the back of their mind want to tell you they’re the baddest dude out there and go ahead and try to stop them. That’s who they are.”

Kingsbury never could convince Murray to come to Texas Tech – Murray played one season at Texas A&M before transferring to Oklahoma – but their relationship continued to flourish. Kingsbury often texted Murray, from his first season in college through his Heisman Trophy run at Oklahoma last season.

“Yeah, I stayed in touch throughout since I’ve known him,” Kingsbury said. “Just kind of been a big fan, the way he plays the game. Everybody would always knock his size, this, that and the other so I would just let him know, ‘Hey, that doesn’t matter. I see what you are and what you do and what’s about to happen.’

“So just last year as the season went on I kind of saw where I thought it was going and the success Patrick (Mahomes) and Baker (Mayfield) were having. I just felt like he was the next guy. So I just wanted to make sure he knew, keep going, don’t listen to what’s being said or what’s not being said. This is what you are.”

The text messages touched Murray, not only because few college coaches take the time to text players from opposing teams, but because he knew Kingsbury cared about him as a young man and not just a football player.

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“As a player, you want to have a guy that knows what you do, respects your game and is behind you at all costs,” Murray said. “He was always that guy for me. … Just the fact that he was watching me during the season. He was obviously coaching, and I was playing. The fact that he was taking time out to watch film on me obviously means a lot. Me trying to win every game and do what I can for my team and him coaching his team, I think that just speaks volumes.”

Fleener already knows how the relationship between the two will evolve. It will happen in a dark room, the college coach and the high school kid finally together as professionals.

“Kyler is a guy who doesn’t go out and doesn’t party. He doesn’t have a whole bunch of friends,” Fleener said. “Kliff is the same way. I have a good mindset of the two of them sitting in that room for hours, watching film and shooting ideas off each other.

“It’s a match made in heaven.”

(Photo of, l-r, GM Steve Keim, owner Michael Bidwill, Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury on Friday: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

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