Scott Boras is the most powerful agent in baseball, and he represents one of the most talented and intriguing college athletes in quite some time.
Kyler Murray is the favorite to win the Heisman trophy, but he also signed a $4.66 million signing bonus this past summer after the A's selected him with the No. 9 pick in the MLB Draft. With the way he has succeeded as the Oklahoma Sooners' quarterback this season though, talks of Murray exploring the NFL Draft have exploded.
On Thursday, however, Boras told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that Murray will stick with his commitment to the A's despite the speculation he will declare for the NFL Draft.
"Kyler has every intention of fulfilling his agreement with the A's and he's grateful he has had the chance to pursue his college goals," Boras told Slusser. "He will be in spring training with the A's."
Murray is listed at only 5-foot-10, but with his explosiveness and accuracy, he's projected as either a first or second-round pick in the NFL.
"I think that's something me and my family will talk about at the end of the season and weigh out the options of what the NFL thinks of me," Murray said last week to Tim Tebow when asked about his future as either a baseball or football player. "Right now my future is already kind of planned out, but we'll see what happens."
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While Boras says Murray will stay committed to the A's, Murray has until Jan. 14, 2019 to declare for the NFL Draft. First, he'll try to beat Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
"He could play in the NFL, certainly," Boras said. "But no one understands this guy's future in major-league baseball - he's got an opportunity to separate himself from everyone. He's got a chance to be a great major-leaguer."
On the baseball diamond, Murray, an outfielder, hit .296 with a .954 OPS and 10 home runs last season. He also stole 10 bases. His uncle Calvin played for the Giants and now works for Boras.
