Published: February 06, 2008 11:55 pm         

Murphy to walk on at Marshall

At 6-foot-4, 295 pounds and blessed with 4.9 speed, Shawn Murphy knew football was going to be part of his college future.

But deciding which school to attend was not just about the immediate future.

It was a life decision for the Richwood senior.

He could have signed Wednesday with Fairmont State. As of Monday night, that was his plan. He would have received a scholarship, and he knows plenty of people who go to school there.

Which is the exact reason he changed his mind Tuesday night. That, and because Marshall came calling.

Murphy will walk on with the Herd, accepting an invitation extended by Marshall offensive line coach Mike Cummings.

The fact he knows fewer people at Marshall than at Fairmont actually made the offer to walk on all the more attractive for Murphy.

He sounds like a man ready to stand on his own two feet.

“I just have to get out in the real world and get myself prepared,” Murphy said late Tuesday night.

“Also, I want to challenge myself physically. Everything is so much faster. I’m not trying to down Fairmont, but it seems like this will be a bigger challenge.”

Murphy had been recruited by former Marshall defensive coordinator Steve Dunlap, but he resigned last month and took a job on Bill Stewart’s staff at West Virginia,

Murphy thought he had seen his Herd future disappear.

“Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like, after coach Dunlap left, I didn’t hear from them as much, and I got a little downtrodden,” he said. “But I talked to coach Cummings just a little bit ago and he said they would like to have me up there.”

Jason Rogers, Richwood’s first-year coach last fall, believes the Herd is getting a steal.

“He is a real good leader,” Rogers said. “He was bigger and stronger than everybody we played against. What makes him good is he is fast for a big guy.”

At a Teays Valley combine last summer, Murphy turned in a 4.9 40 on a computerized clock.

“That’s moving for a big guy,” Rogers said.

“They think he will be able to earn a scholarship pretty quick.”

Murphy has a bit of a role model in the Marshall camp. Offensive lineman Josh Evans is from Fayetteville, and Murphy remembers playing against him his freshman year.

“I was thinking, ‘He is a monster,’” Murphy recalled. “Now I think back about it and realize that I have played against Division I players. I’m not afraid of that again.”

Murphy also took part in a Marshall summer camp and benefited from his time there.

“It was generally a good experience,” he said. “I had a good time, talked to a bunch of people. I enjoyed myself, enjoyed the coaching staff. It was a good experience.”

He hopes to enjoy the experience even more.

“This is a chance to play at a Division I school,” Murphy said. “That doesn’t come around often.”