Murphy headed to Mississippi State

It didn't pack heavy drama or come as much of a surprise, but Alec Murphy's commitment to Mississippi State became official on Friday evening. The last part is all that matters to three-star running back, though.

He'll play for the Bulldogs. The pomp and circumstance that failed to surround his decision and subsequent announcement never mattered much to him anyway. Murphy has plenty to be excited about as is.

"Whenever I went there for the first time, [db]Mississippi State[/db] felt like home," Murphy said on Friday. "They made it feel like home for me. I have family around, so they'll get to watch me play. And, since I grew up in Mississippi, I was always around Ole Miss and Mississippi State. It's crazy because I never thought I would be playing for them. This blows my mind"

The Nixa (Mo.) R2 High School standout chose the Bulldogs over fellow finalists Iowa and Purdue. His mother already lives in Mississippi and will continue to do so until Murphy finished out his high school career in Missouri.

So when his verbal commitment went down during Mississippi State's camp on Friday, the shock factor wasn't exactly high. He gave consideration to his six other scholarship offers, sure, but he also admits that the writing had been on the wall for some time.

This was by no means a snap decision.

"There are a lot of good things about Purdue and Iowa. They have a lot in common with Mississippi State. They all have good programs and great people and great educations. It was hard, but Mississippi State always just made the most sense for me.

"It's a lot of stress of my shoulders now, so I can spend some time preparing for my high school season and college."

Murphy, who is ranked as the No. 31 running back in the 2015 class, says he does not intend to take other visits outside of a fall official to Mississippi State.