A day after tweeting, “Gotta make decisions for the future,” West Point High School football player Marcus Murphy announced some big news.
Murphy, who committed to Mississippi State last summer, announced Tuesday on Twitter he was decommitting from MSU to explore other options. The Class of 2018 athlete recently received a scholarship offer from Michigan — his second.
“I don’t think there’s anything against Mississippi State at all with him,” West Point coach Chris Chambless said in a phone interview with The Dispatch. “He’s about to go to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl combine and Michigan offered him, and I think he just wants to leave his options open, I guess you could say. He doesn’t want to hold Mississippi State in the process, either.”
Murphy tweeted Sunday he received an offer from Michigan. Murphy told Bulldawgs247 he talked with his family about his future and decided it would be best for him to decommit from MSU.
“I wanted to open things up and I just want to explore my options so I can make the right choice,” Murphy told Bulldawgs247. “I just felt like (Tuesday) was the right time to go ahead and do it. I called (MSU) coach (Dan) Mullen and then I put it on Twitter. Mississippi State is still my No. 1 school, but I felt like I committed too early before looking at all of my options.”
Murphy committed to MSU last summer. As a junior, he split time between quarterback and running back. He had 1,756 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns as West Point finished 14-1 and won the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A State championship last month at MSU’s Davis Wade Stadium. He also had 97 yards passing and 137 yards receiving.
Murphy is rated as the state’s fourth-best player, the No. 23 athlete, and the No. 298 prospect in the Class of 2018, according to 247Sports Composite.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Murphy told Bulldawgs247 that Michigan visited him last week.
“I knew they were interested, so I guess they wanted to pull the trigger on New Year’s Day and they offered me,” Murphy told Bulldawgs247. “I have LSU, Tennessee, Oregon State, and Memphis showing a lot of interest, too.”
Chambless talked to Murphy on Tuesday and felt like it was a difficult decision for him to make. He called Murphy a “loyal person” and said Murphy wasn’t being heavily recruited before he picked MSU.
“He got into the process early, and I don’t think he has any regrets doing that, but at the same time, he wants what’s best for everybody, not only himself but Mississippi State,” Chambless said. “You have a change of heart, especially when you commit early like that, and he didn’t want to drag out the recruiting process for anybody. His options to go to Mississippi State are hopefully still open, and I think he understands that, but at the same time, he’s not going to hold a spot for anybody.”
Aeris Williams, Murphy’s former teammate at West Point High, just finished his sophomore season at MSU. The running back took over as the team’s featured back late in the season, and finished with 137 carries for 720 yards and four touchdowns.
Chambless feels Murphy is making the best choice for himself.
“Marcus is a good person,” Chambless said. “He’s a very respectful young man and he works his tail off on and off the field. He’s trying to create a positive image for himself and he’s very trustworthy. I think he’s just checking the process out.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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