Coach Bobby Petrino picked up some offensive line help for the 2019 class with the addition of 6’4 300 lbs OL Ty Murray.
https://twitter.com/tymurray__/status/1047658225502507009?s=19
Murray, a 3 Star prospect out of Carrollton High School in Carrollton, GA, picked UofL over offers from Michigan, Boston College, Colorado State, and Cincinnati, among others per 247sports.
Murray has an impressive set of highlights that you can watch here. I’ll break down what I saw below.
Versatility
Murray is a guy that played 3 positions on his team’s offensive line last year. He played tackle, guard, and center. He was adept at all three.
Murray is fleet-footed enough to play outside and powerful enough to play inside. One thing Coach Petrino has shown in his recruiting his second stint at UofL is that he values players at all positions that have the versatility to be utilized in different ways.
Strength
Murray is a very strong player. It’s evident in how he blocks. He gets a lot of push and drives defenders for yards and eventually into the ground.
Once he engages a block, Murray is strong enough to hold it for quite a while. Defenders have a near impossible time disengaging to be able to make tackles.
Quickness
Despite his size, Murray is quick: quick off the ball, quick with his first step, and quick to get to defenders on the second level.
The quickness Murray possesses makes it possible for him to play 3 positions. As a tackle, he can beat quicker defenders attempting to rush the passer to spots and block them. As a guard or center, he can be relied upon to pull and get to the spot on time to make a block in the run game.
Run Blocking
Murray is an excellent run blocker. A powerful force on the line. Many of his highlights featured him engaging a defender, pushing that defender for yards, and driving that defender to the ground. He has a nasty streak.
As a pulling lineman, he is dangerous as he builds up momentum and crushes defenders; opening holes for his RBs to burst through.
Leverage
Murray is able to use his size, strength, and weight to gain leverage on defenders. It’s why he’s so good at run blocking and finishing blocks.
To my eye, he never gets too high in his stance. This allows him to anchor himself to stop the initial rush of the defender and then drive that defender backwards, sometimes for yards at a time.
His use of leverage makes it harder for defenders to bull rush him or overpower him to make plays.
Hands
Murray uses his hands to great effect. He doesn’t hold, but when he gets hands on a defender, it usually stone walls that defender and ends their chance of making a play.
He seems to have a good knowledge of where to place his hands and how to use them to get leverage, stop defenders, and drive them backwards.
In summary, Coach Petrino has picked up an OL that can contribute possibly at three positions. Versatility is a commodity Petrino seems to covet a lot in recruiting lately and Murray fits that mold.
Murray is an excellent run blocker and a good pass protector. Of the two skills, pass blocking is the one I foresee him having to develop a little more. Murray has a mean streak which should excite fans and coaches; liking to put a hurting on defenders. He is a quick footed, powerful player that can become a nice addition in the trenches for UofL.
