Rhamondre Stevenson's idol? His own position coach, DeMarco Murray
No one would accuse Rhamondre Stevenson's running backs coach of being unqualified for the position.
In fact, here's a fun note: he claimed an NFL Offensive Player of the Year award more recently than the Sooners failed to win the Big 12 championship.
DeMarco Murray's return to his alma mater last offseason understandably commanded a great deal of fanfare. Now, in his first year on the Sooner staff, Murray's mentorship has proven particularly significant for Stevenson, who admitted that he was a bit starstruck when he heard the news of Murray's homecoming.
"It was surreal, really, if I'm being honest," Stevenson recalled. "If you guys have social media, I was posting like, 'Oh, DeMarco Murray is my coach. He's about to coach me.' So it was very exciting. When I had that first meeting with him, I just knew he was going to be great. He's a good guy to be around."
The Sooners' bruising 245-pound back shares a deep-rooted bond with Murray, as both men hail from Las Vegas. However, that's not the primary reason that Stevenson holds Murray in such high regard. A Dallas Cowboys fan since childhood, Stevenson grew up watching his future coach slice and dice through defensive fronts on Sunday afternoons. A third-round pick in 2011, Murray spent four seasons in a Cowboys uniform before brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans.
"I knew him just from watching him on TV," Stevenson said of Murray. "I thought he was a great running back, of course, and he was actually my favorite running back. So it's crazy he's my coach now. He's there in every aspect. Like, he's been through the process. He actually went to OU, he's played in the NFL, he knows how everything goes. So, he just knows the type of work ethic I need and what I need to do to get to the next level. He's just really getting me prepared for that."
A Sooner from 2006-10, Murray still holds a bevy of school records, including career all-purpose yards (6,718) and total touchdowns (65). Given the Sooners' traditional reliance on a backfield committee under Lincoln Riley, it may be decades before any Oklahoma back threatens those marks.
With his name firmly engraved in the Sooner history books, Murray's newest task is to establish his cerebral rushing approach in Norman. It's quite evidently taking root; Stevenson, who has five rushing touchdowns in just two games since returning from suspension, has responded to Murray's tutelage like a fish to water.
"The most he's helped me out is the reading of the defenses and just knowing what's going to happen before it happens," said Stevenson. "And just instilling that I need to run hard and finish plays every play."
Murray is just 32 years old, and less than three years removed from an NFL career that featured a trifecta of Pro Bowl nominations. If he had any remaining eligibility, it's safe to say that he could still average four or five yards per carry behind the stalwart Oklahoma offensive line. Perhaps that's why Stevenson speaks of Murray's prowess as a ballcarrier in the present tense.
"I remember his MVP season very vividly," said Stevenson. "He just runs the ball really well. He can catch it out of the backfield. He can pass block. He’s just a complete back to me. So I kind of looked up to him. That’s why he was my favorite back."
Make no mistake, Stevenson is his own breed: an athletic, compact, powerful back with a knack for bouncing off defenders. But when the senior has the ball in his hands, it's not difficult to see shades of Murray's style peeking through. Indeed, much like Murray, Stevenson runs with desire, as if he's got something at stake each time he touches the ball.
After all, should he cross the goal line, he knows his idol will be waiting to congratulate him on the sidelines.
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