Fast rising athlete lands new offer

While it is true that athlete prospect Ryan Murphy (6-2, 205, 4.42) from Oakland (Calif.) Tech was flying way underneath the radar when it came to his recruitment, but those days on long gone as he is currently getting a lot of recruiting action as his stock is really heating up.

Murphy currently has offers on the table from Fresno State, Arizona State, Oregon State, Washington State, and his most recent offer from UCLA where he is planning on taking an official visit on January 8th.

"I was actually surprised because I just found out on Sunday (December 27th) that I had the offer," Murphy said. "Coach Moses (UCLA running back coach Wayne Moses) called me and when we talked in the past, I wasn't really sure if I had an offer from UCLA, and he (Moses) told me that they had offered, but I really didn't keep up with it.

"Fresno State is trying to get January 8th as a visit as well," Murphy said. "But I think I'm going to take my UCLA visit.

"I have already visited Arizona State and after that I visited Washington State," Murphy said. "I liked them both a lot.

"Washington State was a culture shock, but it was in a positive way though," Murphy said. "I think it is something that I need to develop as a young adult because I am used to the inner-city.

"I think a place like Washington State will be a great opportunity for education and also to play collegiate football," Murphy said. "Pullman is eight miles away from the University of Idaho.

"The coaches said they can leave their houses unlocked, and their cars unlocked, because Pullman is a peaceful town," Murphy said. "Out of the whole Pac 10, Pullman has the lowest rate of crime. Because of L.A., USC and UCLA being the highest then Cal Berkeley right behind them.

"That is one thing I like about Pullman," Murphy said. "As an inner-city kid, I can take my focus away from living through hard times. Pullman would be a great opportunity along with schools like Oregon State.

"I'm hoping to take all my visits and then make my decision," Murphy said. "As of right now I like Oregon State and Washington State a lot, but I'm not leaning heavily toward any school just yet."

As far as in-house visits, Murphy has had Arizona State, Washington State and Fresno State already in the home for a visit and according to Murphy all three went very well.

The reason that colleges are beginning to wake up about Murphy is he's very versatile and has the ability to make plays on both sides of the ball.

Oregon State is recruiting him as an athlete. The Beavers like him as both a running back and a safety. Same as Arizona State while Washington State is recruiting him as a safety. For Cal and UCLA, Murphy is being recruited as a safety.

While there are no recorded defensive stats for Murphy, he did have four forced fumbles, two interceptions and had a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown. He also retuned one of his interceptions for a score. Obviously what defensive stats are known, shows that he is a hard hitter and playmaker as a defensive player.

On the offensive side of the ball, Murphy rushed for 1,983 and scored 18 touchdowns. He also had two touchdown receptions and two kick returns for scores. Once again, it shows Murphy's penchant for making plays.