Oklahoma assistant coach DeMarco Murray suspended 1 game by NCAA for recruiting violations

Former NFL running back and Oklahoma assistant coach DeMarco Murray has been suspended for a game by the NCAA.

The NCAA said Tuesday that Murray had myriad instances of impermissible contact with recruits. Per a release, “Murray impermissibly contacted 17 prospects over 16 months, including 65 impermissible phone calls and 36 impermissible text messages.”

The NCAA added that “Murray indicated that he was not aware that a COVID-19 waiver of recruiting contact rules had expired” even though “enforcement staff determined that the school had properly educated football coaches on the applicable recruiting rules and the timing of changes to them.”

Additionally, the NCAA said Oklahoma's Brent Venables violated head coach responsibility rules, but wasn’t given a suspension himself because of the timing of NCAA rules changes and because he had “demonstrated that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance and monitored his staff.”

As part of the punishments for Murray’s violations, Oklahoma self-imposed recruiting restrictions in 2023 and will face a three-week ban on phone and electronic correspondence after the 2024 regular season.

Oklahoma opens the 2024 season on Friday against Temple. The Sooners are six-touchdown home favorites over the Owls, per BetMGM.

Murray has been Oklahoma’s running backs coach for the past four seasons and stayed on staff when Venables was hired to replace Lincoln Riley ahead of the 2022 season. He played at Oklahoma from 2007 through 2010 and is the school’s career leader in all-purpose yards and touchdowns. Murray spent seven seasons in the NFL and rushed for over 7,000 yards with three teams. His best season came in 2014 when he was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year during his final season with the Dallas Cowboys. That season, Murray rushed for a league-high 1,845 yards and scored 13 TDs.