Murray wins Heisman Trophy as top college football player

LOS ANGELES: Kyler Murray won the prestigious Heisman Trophy Saturday, the highest honor in US college football going to a player who could yet be headed to a baseball career.

Murray threw for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns for the University of Oklahoma this season. He got the Heisman nod over fellow quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa of the University of Alabama and Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State.

Murray was a top recruit out of high school in Texas, but he struggled at Texas A&M before sitting out a year and transferring to Oklahoma. Last year he served as back-up to Oklahoma’s Heisman-winning quarterback Baker Mayfield. This marks the first time since 1945-46 that different players from the same school won the award in back-to-back years.

Murray, who wasn’t officially named Oklahoma’s starting QB until August 22, led Oklahoma to a fourth straight Big 12 conference title and a berth in the College Football Playoff. They’ll face Tagovailoa’s Alabama in the semi-finals on December 29.