2022 5-star LB Shawn Murphy watching this season closely

2022 five-star Shawn Murphy isn't short on suitors and his phone has been blowing up ever since college coaches could start reaching out to him at the beginning of September. Still, there are a few teams that seem like they have a really good shot at landing the big time prospect out of Manassas (Va.) Unity Reed. As of now he doesn't claim any favorites but there's one player that has already caught his eye this season.

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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

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“A lot of schools have been catching my attention,” Murphy said. “It's been real busy but a lot of schools have been doing a good job of texting me as much as they can. My phone is really packed.

“I don't have really any standouts because they're all saying the same thing,” he said. “I’m really having a hard time with this decision and the dead period is hurting me. I have to watch the games right now and I'm still getting the flow of things.

“I watched a couple UVA games, Alabama, and schools like that,” said Murphy. “I’ve just been watching any school that has been on on the weekend.

“I watched a little bit of Christian Harris,” he said. “I think he's number eight on Alabama. He's doing really good and he kind of impressed me with how young he is. It's his age and being able to play the way he has been.

“Tyleik (Williams, my teammate that is committed to Ohio State) is recruiting me hard,” Murphy said. “I feel like they're building something real nice at Ohio State. I like what they're doing. They're doing a great job.

“I’ve been talking to coach Al and coach Day," he said. "Coach Al goes over film, talks about the school, and tries to fill me in as much as he can so I'm not lost. He also helps me in my recruitment so I can figure out what school is what and what school is not. He's been helping me out. If we (CJ Hicks, Dasan McCullough, and Gabe Powers) combined it would be really good but I'm still weighing on my options.”

Murphy doesn't give too much away in interviews but it's hard not to think Ohio State has the inside track for his recruitment. The Ohio native has been back to see family in his home state a couple of times this year and he's also grown close with many of the current Ohio State commits. Even his own teammate is recruiting him for Ohio State so the Buckeyes have a lot going for them here. Alabama has expressed a lot of interest in Murphy and it does seem important that he is excited about the progress of one of their young defensive stars. Don't expect Murphy to make an early decision because he does want to take advantage of his visits once the dead period is over.