It’s a weird in between period for the Texas A&M Aggies, waiting to play in their bowl game, but also scrambling to not let their 2016 prospects fall apart, as a second quarterback, Kyler Murray, seems to be seeking a transfer from the team.
Kyle Allen is already looking to join someone else next season, wait out a year and then play in 2017, hoping to make it on a power 5 conference team. Murray didn’t show up for the team’s first practice as they prepare for the Music City Bowl against Louisville, but it was probably coach Kevin Sumlin telling him to take a day and think about his next moves. Whatever Murray decides, the Aggies are expecting him to play in the bowl game.
Allen said that he needed to do what’s best for him. He actually won back the starting place he lost during the season, but this may all be about offensive coordinator Jake Spavital leaving. Sumlin still hasn’t announced his next hiring, waiting for bowl season to end (although he probably already has someone waiting for the job) which is creating uncertainty within the team, and has also resulted in some major decommitment from future recruits.
The Aggies started last season with Kenny Hill, Allen and Murray all lined up to battle for the quarterback position for years to come. They started this season with two five-star prospects at quarterback. They might start next season with nothing of all that, and although none of the seasons under Sumlin have been a disaster, the disappointing performances since Johnny Manziel left to the NFL have put him under pressure, and there seems to be some level of unhappiness among players and maybe the coaching staff bubbling under the surface.
Murray hasn’t done much to expect teams slobbering all over to get him, and like Allen, he’ll probably be looking for a team that has a senior or junior (but NFL ready) quarterback primed to start in 2016, which would leave him available to battle for a starting spot in 2017. But unlike Allen, who is leaving no matter what, Murray might be a little bit more indecisive about what his next move is, with the Aggies trying as hard as possible to keep him around.