How’s it going, everyone?

On Monday, Kyler Murray announced he has chosen to play football professionally over baseball, and on Tuesday the public learned which agent the Heisman Trophy winner has chosen to represent him going forward. He’s Erik Burkhardt of Select Sports Group.

A couple things here: you may recall Scott Boras being Murray’s previous agent when it looked like he would pursue a career in the MLB, but now that K1 is sticking with football, he, of course, needed to find a football agent. Boras only represents baseball clients, hence the hiring of Burkhardt.

Another very interesting note about this development is who else Burkhardt currently represents. Kliff Kingsbury, former Texas Tech head coach and current Arizona Cardinals head coach, is also a client of Burkhardt’s. It’ll probably be inconsequential, but ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit stoked the flames a bit with his comments theorizing how Kingsbury could unite with Murray.

With that No. 1 overall pick just sitting there in the Cards’ possession, and Kingsbury’s openness about his respect for Murray’s talent, the smoke on this possible draft scenario continues to billow. Until then, we’ll have to wait and see if a future in Arizona is in the cards for Murray. Sorry for that terrible pun, I’ll see myself out now.

Now for some super Hot Links! We’ve got lots of reactions following Kyler Murray’s major announcement, Mariah Lopez earns a weekly honor, Bill Russell turns 85 and more!

OU Links

• The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discussed Kyler Murray as a draft prospect now that he’s fully committed to pursuing a career in football.

• Ian Rapoport shared what he’s hearing from several GM’s. Word is that Murray is an essential lock to go in the first round, if not the top 10. It’s also an exciting prospect that he’ll be in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine.

• Adam Schefter makes the point that Baker Mayfield’s success during his rookie season will help pave the way for Kyler Murray as he transitions from Oklahoma to the NFL.

• Kirk Herbstreit wants people who haven’t watched a ton of film on Murray to realize that he makes many of his plays from inside the pocket, and compares his running style to Reggie Bush’s.

• At the end of the day, the moves that have been made were strictly business, and the Oakland A’s knew all the risks when they signed Murray last summer. Now he’s going a different route, and while most of the signing bonus will have to be returned, the draft pick is ultimately wasted (unless he someday goes back to baseball, in which case the A’s still have his rights).

• Here are some interesting stats to chew on. Feel free to share them with your friends or anybody you’re having a disagreement with on social media. Boom!

• How high Kyler Murray is drafted is largely dependent on how he fits with a team. From offensive scheme to its current roster, which teams are the best fit for the dynamic QB?
• Oklahoma’s Mariah Lopez was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for her dominant performance in the GCU Kickoff Tournament. Congratulations, Mariah!

• Mack Brown had some high praise for his former Red River rival Bob Stoops as he sets out on his next coaching venture in the XFL.

Around the Sports World

• Russell Westbrook recorded his 10th triple-double in a row on Monday night, passing Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive triple-doubles in NBA history. Here’s that moment inside Chesapeake Energy Arena. Exhilarating.

• The Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal took about 548 steps without dribbling the ball. Okay, I’m obviously exaggerating, but how on earth do the refs miss this when it’s so completely egregious?

• Kareem Hunt was released by the Kansas City Chiefs during the season last year following an assault investigation, and now the Cleveland Browns have signed the running back on a one-year deal.
• I’m not currently nor have ever been a hockey player myself, but I still don’t know how one misses the goal when they’re this close and it’s that undefended. Yikes.

• Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell celebrates his 85th birthday today. Check out the candles on his birthday cake. With all that smoke, it might be a good decision to do this outside next time. HBD, Mr. Russell!

Stick to Sports!

• This lacewing larva collects and carries debris to help camouflage itself out in the open, but when this one was discovered, it looked like a living, breathing nug of weed. Here’s proof that nature is pretty chill sometimes, but whatever you do, do not smoke this.

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