In his Own Words: Five-star Myles Murphy to Clemson
The recruitment for five-star defensive end Myles Murphy is over.
The 6-foot-4, 261 pound defensive end out of Powder Springs (Ga.) Hillgrove has committed to Clemson over Auburn and he is a big believer in Dabo Swinney and the Tiger program.
At one time, Murphy thought he would be a baseball player, but once he reached high school, football became his focus and he definitely made the right choice.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
"Football was introduced to me when I was seven years old in Cobb County (Ga.). Cobb County is now known for producing many talented players, such as Kenyan Drake, Bradley Chubb, and Evan Engram, all of which attended Hillgrove High School, where I currently play.
"Before high school, I always dreamed of being a professional baseball player. At the time, the Braves were a huge hit in Atlanta. I mimicked my game after Jason Heyward because my mom always said that we move the same and are built the same. I think that she was just blowing my head up, but it did keep me interested in pursuing my baseball career.
"On the other hand, I really didn’t like football because of the constant contact and aggression. Although I didn’t like playing the sport of football, I continued to play every year it came around. I don’t know why I did it, but I am glad that I did.
"All throughout pound ball and middle school I was considered soft despite the fact that I was the biggest player on the field. At that point in time, I was afraid of contact and didn’t want any part of it. But, I persisted because all of my closest friends were all playing football.
"For about 6-7 years I was a three-sport athlete: football, baseball, and basketball. In middle school I played for a high-level baseball team called 6-4-3. This baseball club produced a large number of college baseball players every year. I played first base, pitcher, and outfield. As a pitcher, I wasn’t known for being the most accurate, but at the age of 15, my fastball had reached 87 (mph). My coach had came up to me personally and told me that if I stick to playing this sport, I would begin reeling offers because of my frame, hitting power, and because I was a lefty.
"As I entered my freshman year of high school, like any other freshman, I was scared about what was to happen next as for as the school work and football. As a freshman, I had grown to be 6-feet 4-inches tall and 230 pounds (Imagine that, a man that big scared in a school full of people around the same age).
"As the workload did increase for school, the workouts and football practice weren’t as bad as I had thought. As you may have guessed, I was one of the biggest people on the field and very athletic for my age. In my freshman season of football I played in 8 of the 10 regular season games.
"After that season, during the summer, I began to attend camps. This was when I received my first few offers (Georgia first, then Auburn and South Carolina were the first three) and got more attention that I ever thought I would ever get.
"Over the years, the attention and notoriety had only increased, as I am now a top player living in the state of Georgia, a football state. But throughout the process of looking through schools and evaluating coaches, I have learned to enjoy the process as there are many kids that won’t be able to experience this once in a lifetime experience.
"So I thank God for everything he has done in my life and putting me in the position that I am in .As many of you know, I narrowed my options down to Auburn and Clemson. Both schools are great schools when it comes to their athletics and academics but, eventually a decision had to be made.
"With that being said, I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at THE CLEMSON UNIVERSITY!!! #DLU"
