Auburn is set to get another season out of Chris Murray, and that matters because the edge rusher has already shown he can be a useful piece in the Tigers’ front.
Murray, listed at 6-foot-3 and 256 pounds, will be back for a sixth season after the NCAA granted him an additional year of eligibility. The Wichita Falls, Texas, native arrived at Auburn before the 2025 season and put together a solid first year on the Plains, finishing with 15 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.
His path to this point has been anything but straightforward. Murray began his career at TCU in 2021, sat out that entire season, then was slowed in 2022 by an acromioclavicular shoulder injury.
He played in five games that year, and that injury later helped him recover the season when he applied for a medical hardship waiver. After two seasons at TCU, he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Sam Houston State before landing at Auburn.
“God blessed my favor,” Murray said. “I was excited.
Alex Golesh wanted to sit and talk to me personally. The way he approaches this building, be who you say you are, he’s elite.
He’s an elite coach. I’m happy to be with him.
I’m happy that he got me to join.”
Murray’s return gives Auburn another experienced body for a defensive line that figures to stay in heavy rotation again in 2026. Similar to the last two seasons, the Tigers could cycle through as many as eight players up front over the course of the year.
Even though he didn’t practice until late spring after the waiver was approved, Murray should still be in position to play. Knowing the system from last season gives him a head start, and Auburn may also use him in a buck linebacker role alongside Ole Miss transfer Dashawn Womack, depending on how the depth chart shakes out.
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