It could not have been more obvious that UCF RB Latavius Murray was going to transfer to Syracuse to continue his football career.
The Onondaga High School phenom was going to make-good on his decision to head to Florida instead of the hometown U and he was going to do it in grand fashion, on the recovery of a major injury. He asked for and was granted a release by George O'Leary and UCF. He returned to Syracuse to rehab and also to get to know the coaches and see if and when the opportunity would be presented to him. The storyline had written itself. All anyone had to do was offer the chance and sign the papers.
So it's more than a little surprising that Murray will be returning to UCF next season instead of transferring. Murray's given reason? His mom.
"I'm going back," Murray said Monday. "After talking to my mom, I figured it was the best thing for me."
The read-between-the-lines real reason he going back? No one was interested.
Murray...had conversations with SU coaches, who informed him they would not recruit him. He said he also talked to coaches from Connecticut and the University of Buffalo. But in the end, Murray decided to honor his original intent to play at UCF.
I suppose when you're dealing with a player that tore his anterior cruciate ligament, severed his lateral cruciate, strained his posterior cruciate and damaged his hamstring...you're going to have reservations, potential-aside.
Coach O'Leary welcomes him back with open arms and so that mini-saga ends with everyone back where they were. Murray will redshirt the upcoming season and hopefully get his leg worked out. SU will move forward with the hope of recruiting it's own Latavius Murray in the next couple seasons. And everyone will wonder what could have been...