Potentially more staffing changes are coming for Oklahoma.
On the heels of losing cornerbacks coach Jay Valai to the NFL and subsequently replacing him with Michigan’s LaMar Morgan, a professional franchise is again interested in one of the Sooners’ assistants. The Kansas City Chiefs are considering OU running backs coach DeMarco Murray for their running backs coach opening, per a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Murray, who is Oklahoma’s career leader in all-purpose yards and touchdowns as a player, has been on the coaching staff throughout the entire Brent Venables tenure going back to the 2020 season on the offensive staff under Lincoln Riley. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he was with Arizona in the same role in 2019.
Murray’s career as a Sooner was prolific as he amassed over 5,000 total yards and 63 touchdowns across the 2007-2010 seasons, playing a key role in three Big 12 championship teams including the 2008 group that reached the National Championship Game. After his time in Norman, Murray went on to have a fantastic career in the NFL where he played seven seasons with four teams – most notably being the Dallas Cowboys where he was the 2014 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Should Murray jump to the NFL, he would not only be the second coach to do so in the last month but would also be the second offensive position coach to change this offseason after tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley was fired on January 1st. OU replaced Finely, coincidentally, with Murray’s former Dallas Cowboys teammate in Jason Witten just a week later. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle is going into his second year with the program alongside longtime offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh and wide receivers coach Emmett Jones, who was hired into the program in 2023.
While his tenure has been debated at times by fans, one thing Murray has done inarguably well since returning to coach at OU is recruit talent. The Sooners recently signed composite 2026 No. 4 running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. in December and gained a commitment from 2028 No. 1 running back Micah Rhodes last month.
OU is set to begin spring practices in roughly a month with the annual spring game set to return in just over two months on Saturday, April 18th at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman after a one-year hiatus.