Kansas first to offer Murray

Tampa (Fla.) King athlete Chris Murray recently landed his first offer.

"Kansas recently offered me," Murray said. "I talked to Coach (Robert) Wimberly, a defensive backs coach, and he was telling me I am a good fit for the defense and I can make a lot of plays at the cornerback position. He said I can help step their defense up to a new level. He said that I am good and can help the school come up, help the defense at that position."

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound prospect, who plays both wide receiver and cornerback for King, doesn't know a great deal about the Jayhawks but is trying to learn more.

"I have been looking at their facility on a website and looking around at stuff about them," Murray said. "I really don't know that much about them outside of their football field, their facilities, and a bit about the campus."

In addition to the offer from the Jayhawks, Murray is also being shown interest by USF, Florida State, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Clemson, and Texas A&M.

He recently took a Junior Day visit to the University of South Florida in early February. While the Bulls have yet to offer, he enjoyed his time on campus learning about Skip Holtz' program.

"I spoke with Coach Skip Holtz," Murray said. "I also saw the weight room, the facilities, the football field, and the practice fields. They talked about the things they do, how they work, and what they do to get you better. We also saw videos and highlights of what they do in practice. They basically talked about how you can become a good football player at USF."

During the visit, the Bulls did not indicate whether or not they were close to offering the local product.

"They didn't really say anything yet," Murray said. "They just said I could be a good fit for a few positions because I have good speed and good hands. They said that hopefully I can be a good fit at USF, but there wasn't really anything about an offer yet."

For Murray, an offer from the local school would be significant as he would like to stay close to or in the Sunshine State for college.

"I would go away, but I don't want to go too far away," Murray said.

As a junior, Murray recorded 27 receptions for 493 yards and seven touchdowns. He also rushed for 48 yards on 10 carries and scored another touchdown. Defensively, he had 22 tackles, five interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.