DeMarco Murray's stay at Arizona was always likely to be brief. It is no secret that he envisions one day coaching at the next level and there is plenty of belief that he will get the opportunity to do so in the future. In the meantime, he began to cut his teeth as a coach with the Wildcats coming on board last January when he was hired by head coach Kevin Sumlin to lead the team's running back unit and replace Clarence McKinney in Tucson.
Murray is now set to leave UA for his alma mater, Oklahoma, in a return to Norman where he turned into a star running back as a college player.
The Las Vegas native was at Oklahoma from 2007-10, and he was able to rush for over 3,600 yards and 50 touchdowns during that time leading to Murray being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft at the end of his college career.
He spent most of the last decade in the pro ranks and earned NFL All-Pro status during that time on a pro journey that took him from Dallas to Philadelphia and then Tennessee.
Sumlin was able to pull Murray away from the TV world where he was a broadcaster in his first season after retirement from the NFL back in 2018.
At Arizona, Murray helped the Wildcats become the third-best rushing team in the Pac-12 continuing a trend for the team's most dynamic group. Although he was only on board as a recruiter for a year he was successful in that area helping the program acquire plenty of talent in his short stay highlighted by his ability to add running backs including freshman Michael Wiley, 2020 signee Jalen John and 2020 commit Frank Brown.
Still in his early 30s, Murray provided the Wildcats with energy on a coaching staff that has already gone through plenty of changes. That spark is something that helped convince Sumlin that Murray was the right man for the job at UA despite a lack of experience as a coach.
"We interviewed a lot of people and his knowledge of the game, his ability to present the information was as good as anybody's," Sumlin said after hiring Murray last year.
Murray was able to make an impact on UA's players during his short time on campus by providing guidance in several areas, both on and off the field, for several members of the team.
"He's taught us a lot," UA running back Nathan Tilford said during the season. "He's taught us a lot on the field and off the field. I'm becoming a better player ... and also just becoming a better man in general."
The Wildcats will now have to find yet another replacement to lead a running back unit that returns four scholarship players who all contributed in some way during the 2019 season and remains the team's deepest position group.
The new coach will be the fourth to different person to lead the Arizona running back unit in the last four seasons. It will also be the fourth coaching change the Wildcats will have to make this offseason after replacing three coaches on the defensive side of the ball in the last month.
