Murphy grabs first SEC offer

Alec Murphy's latest offer is a big one. He isn't downplaying that.

The Nixa (Mo.) R 2 High School running back doesn't name favorites or insinuate that any one school has an early leg up, but the invitation he landed during his weekend trip to Mississippi State carries significant weight.

"It's a big one, not only because I was born there and it's my home state, but because of the coaches," Murphy said. "It's also an offer I've worked really hard for. They didn't really even know who I was until I showed up at one of the camps last summer and was like, 'Hi. I'm Alec. I'm pretty good at football.' It was a lot of hard work put into getting that offer."

The offer from the Bulldogs is Murphy's third. And while it certainly made an impact, the 6-foot-1 tailback says the urge to commit on the spot was never that powerful.

"I want to hold off on everything and see what else comes around," he said. "I want to take every offer I get into consideration, but the excitement is always there. Every time I get an offer, it's like, 'Yes, they want me.' That's just being 17 years old and in such a big situation. That's how I feel, but I just have to make sure it's the right fit for me. I have to take everything into consideration."

That said, The Bulldogs' low-pressure approach certainly scored points. Murphy had a conversation with head coach Dan Mullen during his visit that didn't go the way of the stereotypical recruiting pitch.

Hesitance to use the hard sell put Murphy at ease.

"Coach Mullen told me to make sure Mississippi State is where I want to be and not to just commit right off the bat," Murphy said. "That's pretty cool because that's the head coach of a football team giving m real advice just to make sure it's what I want to do."

Murphy, who also holds offers from Iowa and Illinois, plans to attends Missouri's junior day Feb. 15 and hopes to attend the corresponding event at Florida later in the month.