Florida FB would commit to FSU

Junior To Watch: Taylor Murray

School: Ponte Verda Beach (Fla.) Nease

Position: Fullback and linebacker

Size and speed: Murray is 6-foot-0 and 220 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds. He bench presses 350 pounds.

Favorite schools: Murray's favorite schools are Ole Miss, Northwestern, Colorado, Notre Dame, Florida State and Auburn.

Skinny: Murray is compact and very fast. He's a big hitter on both sides of the ball. What does he like about his favorite schools?

"Ole Miss was the first school to send me mail, so that means a lot," said Murray. "The first day they were allowed to send me mail I got something from them, so I must have been on their list from the start. Plus, I liked them even before they started recruiting me, so there's a history there.

"I like Northwestern because they run the same offense that I'm learning for this upcoming season, which is a spread offense with no huddle.

"Colorado is high on my list because I loved the state when I went on a skiing trip over spring break. I was supposed to go and meet the coaches but we were snowed in and couldn't go anywhere because the interstate was closed down. But I loved having the mountains to look at on the skyline instead of buildings.

"With Notre Dame, who wouldn't want to go there? Plus, their green and gold uniforms are the same colors as my high school ones," he laughed. "Florida State is nice because I would get to stay in-state with a lot of my friends. It's close to home and they offer a good education. I have a few close friends at Auburn that go there and they're really enjoying themselves."

Of the six schools on his early list do any stick out as potential leaders?

"I would have to say three of them are on the top of my list," said Murray. "Ole Miss, Florida State and Colorado are up there. I'm looking at all the schools on my list very hard, but if FSU were to offer then I might commit. I'm not saying they will offer, but if they do then there's a good chance I might."

Muray thinks that he's best used as a fullback because of his offensive versatility, but a lot of colleges are looking at him as a linebacker. He also says he will play wherever he is needed, and his main concern is just playing college football.

He has heard from almost every school in the ACC and SEC, plus schools like Purdue, Syracuse, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Nebraska and many others across the nation.

"I'll probably go to camp at Ole Miss over the summer," he said. "I might take unofficial visits to Ole Miss, Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida State, Florida, NC State and South Carolina. Mainly I'm going to take trips to schools across the south, just to make things realistic. Plus, me and some teammates can just get in a car and check places out together."