Former Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. was released from the Houston Texans’ practice squad on Thursday, the Texans announced.
Murray, a Missouri City, Texas, native who starred for the Sooners from 2017-19, had joined Houston in mid-September after starting linebacker Henry To’oTo’o landed on injured reserve.
The 27-year-old provided depth and saw action in two games, including a start in Week 4 against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, where he recorded a portion of his six total tackles for the Texans.
He was also elevated for the Week 5 game at Tennessee. With other linebackers returning and the roster shifting, the Texans parted ways with the veteran.
Murray is expected to potentially rejoin the team after Houston’s upcoming London game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For Sooners fans, the move is another chapter in the career of one of the program’s most productive modern linebackers.
Murray started all 42 games in his three seasons in Norman, finishing with 335 tackles, 37.0 tackles for loss, and 9.0 sacks.
As a true freshman in 2017, he earned co-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. His sophomore campaign was even more dominant: 155 tackles (a school high in recent memory and among the nation’s leaders) en route to second-team All-Big 12 recognition.
In 2019, under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, Murray led the Sooners with 102 tackles and 17.0 tackles for loss while helping the team reach the College Football Playoff.
He earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and was named a second-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and a third-team selection by the Associated Press.
He was also a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus Awards.
Selected 23rd overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft, Murray has accumulated roughly 500 career tackles across stops with the Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Cowboys, and now a brief stint with the Texans.
While his NFL production has been more measured than the relentless tackling machine who anchored Oklahoma’s defense, his college resume remains a point of pride in Norman—proof of the high-motor, high-volume linebacker the Sooners developed.
As Murray looks for his next opportunity (or a possible return to Houston), Sooners supporters will continue to remember the All-American who thrived in crimson and cream long before the professional roster churn.
