Editor’s Note: Today, The Dispatch begins its annual look at some of the area’s top players. These features will run daily through the start of the prep football regular season Aug. 17 and 18.
WEST POINT — When the recruiting process gets to be too much, West Point High School senior Marcus Murphy can’t go to his mother for shelter.
“She jokes with me all of the time,” Murphy said. “She said, ‘You did this to yourself by being so good on the field.’ She really helps me with my priorities and keeps me grounded. However, she doesn’t give me any sympathy when it comes to the recruiting process.”
Murphy verbally committed to Mississippi State in the spring. Now the 6-foot-1, 190-pound multiple-position standout is focused on helping the West Point High football team to a second-straight Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A State championship.
The four-star (per 247Sports) athlete is ranked as the state’s sixth-best prospect.
“The Mississippi State coaches have really made me feel at home,” Murphy said. “After watching the recruiting process for (former Starkville High standout) Willie (Gay) and (former Columbus High standout) Kylin (Hill), I really liked what saw. I can’t wait to see both of them play this year. I think we can have something special here going for the Golden Triangle.”
Gay and Hill signed with MSU in February and will be freshmen in the fall. Former West Point running back Aeris Williams, whom Murphy also calls a mentor, will be a junior at MSU this fall.
Meanwhile, Murphy will terrorize Class 5A again. In his junior season, Murphy ran for 1,756 yards and 25 touchdowns. He played running back, receiver and took snaps at quarterback after starting there his sophomore season. On defense, he logged playing time at safety.
Murphy and Hill were named The Dispatch’s co-Offensive Players of the Year following the 2016 season. Murphy also was named to The Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen this month.
“Marcus is just a natural athlete,” West Point High football coach Chris Chambless said. “He wasn’t as vocal as he needed to be at first, but he has made some great strides in the area. He has always been the type of player that has led by example, in the weight room and on the practice field. Other players see the offers. They know he is setting the standard for how you play the game and how you do things the right way.”
After losing to Starkville in the second week of the 2016 season, West Point won its final 13 games to earn the school’s first football state championship since 2010. West Point won four games by an average margin of 32.25 points in its march to the title.
“We really had a special team,” Murphy said. “The biggest challenge was confidence. The last couple of years West Point had slipped. It wasn’t a No. 1 team. Our job was to get the program back in that position. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but we always believed we could do it.
“After we beat some really good opponents the first month of the season, the confidence took off. Once we believed in each other and worked together, we just had all kinds of potential. The same goes with this year’s team. I don’t think we are any less hungry.”
With as many as seven starters returning on offense and as many as nine returning on defense, West Point is the favorite to win another title.
“There has been no taking it easy,” West Point senior defensive back Jason Brownlee said. “I think everybody is excited about our possibilities. Winning a championship is a great, but everybody wants to repeat. It means more when you win two in a row. Marcus is going to continue to lead by example. He is going to give us a chance.”
Murphy said he and his family will decide after the season whether he wants to be part of the first early signing period in December or if he wants to wait until February for the traditional signing period. He said he is firmly committed to MSU but that he wants to travel this fall.
“The recruiting process has been a lot of fun,” Murphy said. “It’s like anything else in life, there are days you want to be left alone. For the most part, it has been very rewarding. Social media has really made it a challenge because now coaches can come at you from all directions at any time. I feel very blessed to be in this position. A lot of players don’t have this opportunity. I know not to take it for granted.
“I have been blessed in a special way, so the big thing is to make the most of this opportunity and to have fun.”
Murphy plans to visit Michigan, Tennessee, Louisville, Ole Miss, and MSU.
Murphy hopes to make it to Oxford more than once. The state championship game will be played at Ole Miss’ Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
