If you’re a Georgia fan, and as expected, you’ll have to wait a bit longer before knowing whether one of the top quarterbacks in the country returns to Athens for another season.
As he redshirted his true freshman season in 2009, Aaron Murray was actually eligible for the NFL draft this past April. Obviously, Murray stayed for his redshirt junior season and it has paid off for both the player and the team, with Murray leading the nation in passing efficiency and the Bulldogs two wins away from a likely spot in the BcS championship game.
With so much on the line over the next two-plus weeks, Murray’s not much inclined to think about his plans beyond 2012 much less address the situation publicly.
“I’ve had friends and everyone ask that,” Murray said Tuesday by way of Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ I’m not worried about that until after the season and then I’ll sit down with my family and make the best decision for myself and my future. I’m having too much fun right now.
“This season has been awesome. We still have so much ahead of us and so much excitement that I really don’t even have time to think about anything else. I’m just living in the moment.”
If Murray were indeed to come out, he’d likely be considered a top-five player at his position and a borderline lock as first-round pick prior to the pre-draft workouts. He also might benefit and learn from Matt Barkley‘s experience in a somewhat similar position.
Last year, Barkley was widely viewed as a top-five overall selection -- if not the overall No. 1 pick -- if he had decided to leave USC with eligibility still remaining. He returned to the Trojans for a final season that ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury and likely, at least in the short-term, hurt his draft stock with an up-and-down final season performance-wise.
Whether or not situations such as Barkley’s will or even should play a role at any level in Murray’s decision is open for debate. What’s not? Murray’s football future won’t be decided until the quarterback first takes care of some on-field business.