In The End, Murray Goes With His Heart

By JOE HENDERSON The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 25, 2008

TAMPA - The words began to catch in Aaron Murray's throat just a couple of minutes into his speech Thursday.

The kid can stare down a pass rush and still find the open receiver at 40 yards, but this was different. A standing-room-only crowd had turned out at the Plant High field house to hear Murray, one of the nation's top high school quarterbacks, announce where he will attend college.

Mom was prepared, though.

Lauren Murray suspected her son might not make it through his big moment without breaking down, so she was ready with a tissue when his tears began to flow. And flow they did. While Aaron dabbed at his eyes and breathed in deeply, mom whispered gently in his ear.

"I let him know this was a happy time," she said.

So it was, a happy time complete with tears of joy at a life well-lived and a future filled with limitless possibilities. It was an especially happy time for the University of Georgia, whose coaches cheered and screamed in Athens when Murray announced he'll go there to play college football after he finishes his senior season.

Yes, he turned down Florida, along with 53 other schools that offered full scholarships.

"Now I can focus on school and next season," he said after the announcement was made. "It is such a relief to have this over with."

An Honor Student, Human

In an age where the headlines too often tell the story of gun-totin' or bar-brawlin' football players, Aaron Murray stands before you as an honor student and human with honor. He has a 4.65 grade-point average. His course load this semester includes advanced placement classes in American History, English and Environment. His life load is even more impressive.

If John-Boy Walton came to life as a quarterback, he would wear No. 11 and play for Plant.

He goes to church. He is all about the team. He loves his family. He works at his craft. He is unfailingly polite. He would rather talk about his teammates, friends, or just about anyone besides himself. His sister, Stephanie, is a freshman quarterback for Plant's flag football team. Aaron gives her passing tips.

And, oh, he broke the state passing record last season - his first as a starting quarterback. His coach, Robert Weiner, said he has looked for a chink in Murray's armor.

"I haven't found it," he said.

A football hero is sometimes magnified beyond reason on a school's campus, and a kid's head could certainly inflate past the bursting point given the abnormal attention that goes along with a day like this. This kid is different, though. This kid gets it.

"Here's one man you should want to cheer for," Weiner said.

You'll have to get in line, though. It forms behind his family.

"Aaron has always been my role model," Stephanie said.

She means it. The love she feels for her big brother showed in her eyes and voice when she talked about the papers she wrote about him for school classes, or how, on Wednesday night, she went to his room and they sat and talked for a long time about what life might have in store for them both.

"No matter what he does, he'll be very successful," she said.

At some point, watching all this, you think, is this kid for real?

Thankfully, the answer is yes.

A Gut Decision

Murray fell in love with Georgia basically the first time he went there. He hit it off with Coach Mark Richt right away, and it was more than just football that brought them together. They talked about faith. They talked about life.

"That was huge to me," he said.

He kept hearing from all these other schools. There's a giant storage bin at the house filled with letters - some of which were never opened. The letters were stacked neatly in the bin until there were so many that they wouldn't fit. The rest were just piled on top.

UCLA and Florida were the other finalists. Aaron and his father wrote down the plusses and minuses of each place. It kept coming back to Georgia. That's where Aaron's heart told him to go. About three weeks ago, he locked in.

"It was a gut decision," he said.

It was a well-kept secret. Only the family and Weiner knew beforehand. The family wasn't talking, and Weiner was sworn "to a blood oath" not to tell. One look in Aaron's eyes told you this was the right call.

This is the story of one kid's decision about where to go to college. We write about it because he plays football, but there is a lot more to him than that. He may have broken some Gators' hearts, but he had to go where his heart said to go. As the song "Georgia On My Mind" sounded through the Plant High field house - Weiner doesn't miss much - things seemed right.

That may bring a tear to a Gator's eye, but mom has extra tissue if they need it.