STARKVILLE — Mississippi State is down another defender.
Junior safety and West Point native Marcus Murphy announced Thursday afternoon via Twitter that he will opt out of the rest of the 2020 season.
“After careful consideration of what is best for me and my family moving forward, I have decided to opt out of the 2020 football season,” he wrote. “I appreciate the love and support I’ve received during my time at Mississippi State University.”
Earlier this season, Murphy discussed the possibility of opting out of the season over COVID-19 concerns with reporters due to his son Mason, who is battling a rare genetic abnormality.
“On the opting out deal, I mean it was a concern, but then again I love football and I love him,” he said in September. “It’s got to go hand in hand in how I balance that out or whatever. I know whenever he’s older he’s going to ask me, ‘Dad, what’d you do during this pandemic?’ or ‘How did you handle this pandemic?’ It all comes down to making sacrifices. It’s just what I had to do — making sacrifices to be around my teammates and going back home to be there for him.”
Murphy is now the second MSU player in as many weeks to opt out of the 2020 season, after starting running back and Columbus product Kylin Hill revealed last week that he would be leaving the program in order to prepare for the NFL draft.
The Bulldogs have also seen another seven players enter the transfer portal for varying reasons over the last month. Those who have done so include former Alabama transfer Tyrell Shavers and one-time Michigan running back Kareem Walker.
MSU was scheduled to play Auburn on Saturday, but that game has been delayed until Dec. 12 due to MSU’s inability to meet the 53-scholarship player threshold the SEC requires each team to hit in order to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bulldogs are next slated to play Nov. 21 at No. 12 Georgia.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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