Kyler Murray NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Criticized in NFL circles, Kyler Murray is a hero for the Oklahoma Sooners

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 4/24/23

Kyler Murray's junior season at Oklahoma was terrific. So good, in fact, that the Sooners decided to honor Murray's Heisman-winning season with a statue.

Murray may be the easy target to pick on right now amongst NFL circles -- where critics have long pointed to either his size, his inconsistency or his supposed lack of buy-in as an NFL quarterback -- but in Oklahoma, he's a hero worthy of celebrating in style.

Check out the statue the Sooners made for him:

@K1 Heisman Park#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/EIVypPdTpU
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 22, 2023

Winning a Heisman at any school is a big deal. It's worth noting that at Oklahoma, though, it almost seems like a tradition. Murray is Oklahoma's seventh Heisman winner being honored "forever in bronze" in Heisman Park.

Baker Mayfield, Sam Bradford, Jason White, Billy Sims, Steve Owens and Billy Vessels also won the Heisman Trophy while at Oklahoma. All but Owens and Vessels were quarterbacks, not surprisingly.

Though Murray is one of seven, it's worth noting that his 2018 season at Oklahoma was truly special.

He completed 69% of his passes for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He also rushed 140 times for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, bringing his total offensive output in 2018 to 5,362 yards and 54 total touchdowns.

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