Dan Wolken

USA TODAY Sports

It seems likely we will look back on Kyler Murray's decision to leave Texas A&M on Thursday as having very little pure football impact. Murray's future is in baseball, where he would have already been a first-round pick and owner a multi-million dollar signing bonus if not for the romance of following in his father's footsteps as an Aggie football player and living up to his own legend as quarterback who never lost a high school game.

The truth is, Murray didn't look the part of an elite-level college player in his short time at Texas A&M. He is small for a modern-day quarterback at 5-foot-11, and his lack of accuracy was jarring, even for a freshman. Maybe he would have developed into something, but the idea he was going to be the next Johnny Manziel seemed far-fetched. The safe bet is Murray will go full-time into baseball and never play college football again.

QB Kyler Murray intends to transfer from Texas A&M

The more troubling aspect of this for Texas A&M, and particularly Kevin Sumlin, is the inherent perception problem that comes with losing three promising quarterbacks in the span of 12 months. Kenny Hill was the next phenom until he suddenly wasn't; now he's at TCU. Then Kyle Allen was the guy until he wasn't until he was again; now he's in limbo after announcing a transfer last week. Then Murray, who was basically going to be the starter by default, suddenly decided to leave College Station under murky circumstances.

And these were not just any players. They were all blue-chip recruits lured by Sumlin, whose knack for recruiting combined with Manziel's Heisman Trophy season and excitement over moving into the SEC made Texas A&M a powerhouse on National Signing Day with the promise of championships to come.

In retrospect, though, 2012 may have been as bad for Sumlin's long-term career aspirations as it was good for his bank account.

The moment Manziel became a mainstream star was the moment the entire image of Texas A&M under Sumlin was forged on the concept of "cool." The coach flew to high school games in a "Swagcopter." The quarterback partied with celebrities and made headlines on TMZ. Players suddenly enjoyed the most plush football facilities in the country after more than $20 million in renovations. Texas A&M actively sold the idea that playing football at Texas A&M was flashy and stylish, something it has never been in its entire history.

The problem — and this isn't unique to Texas A&M, by the way — is there's a very large disconnect between what works in recruiting in a place like College Station and what actually wins football games. Sumlin sells 17-year olds on having fun playing college football and does it extremely well. But doing what it takes to actually beat Nick Saban and win the unforgiving SEC West is not a whole lot of fun for the other 364 days of the year.

Making that transition from recruiting to reality is not easy for any coach, but it has been particularly problematic at Texas A&M. Far too much talent brought to College Station on the premise of contending for national titles has either underperformed or left. The 2012 season, which occurred with players recruited by Mike Sherman, seems like a long time ago.

Murray alone wouldn't be enough to reverse the trajectory of subsequent 9-4, 8-5 and 8-4 seasons, none of which resulted in a finish better than fourth in the SEC West. The issue is bigger than one quarterback, who may not ever play football again, and the rash of transfers is merely a symptom.

Under Sumlin, Texas A&M has been intoxicated with style over substance. If that doesn't change, he won't be coaching there in 2017.

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