Commitment Report: Jimmy Murphy (Hopkins-2020)

One of my first - as well as favorite - interviews I conducted for Northstar Football News was with Hopkins TE/DE/FB <a href="https://www.northstarfootballnews.com/player/jimmy-murphy/">Jimmy Murphy</a>. The 6'2, 215 lb. athlete was well-spoken and gracious, and possesses a unique background and skill-set that has helped him excel in high school as he helped lead his Hopkins Royal squad to a 6-2 regular season in 2019 before having to play eventual state semifinalist Lakeville North in the section playoffs. Murphy had visits to a few NSIC programs before DI Valparaiso offered first, and the University of Urbana in Ohio followed shortly after. With interest from multiple programs at various divisions, Murphy had a big decision to make and committed to the FCS Virgina Military Institute yesterday after a long and tiring recruitment process. The Keydets, who play in the Southern Conference against squads like Wofford, Samford, Mercer, and The Citadel, and play against Princeton and Virgina in their non-conference 2020 schedule. They are getting a physical and aggressive athlete with a lot to prove. Check out what Murphy had to say about which other program was in the thick of his decision, what position he'll be playing for the Keydets, what it feels like to be committed to play DI football, and more! Enjoy, and congratulations, Jimmy! <a href="http://www.hudl.com/video/3/6549225/5d864624bd6a500f181bb8bf">Senior SZN Hudl</a> NFN: Hello and thank you for your time, Jimmy! Congratulators on the commitment to play Division 1 football! Start by telling us a little bit about your recruitment process, and some of your favorite parts of the whole thing. Murphy: "The recruiting process was stressful, exciting, frustrating at times but overall just so relieved that I’ve found to the perfect fit. I started hearing from schools around my junior year and got my first offer the summer going into my senior year. The biggest reason it happened for me in my opinion was the amount of improvement I made from my sophomore to junior year. The most interesting parts and my most favorite parts of the process was just getting to form a ton of great relationships with coaches and just getting to travel with my parents and see a bunch of different places." NFN: Awesome. So what made you commit to VMI? And who did the final decision really come between? Murphy: "I chose to VMI because it had everything in a school I was looking for. A great football program. A great music program. And the military discipline of the school is going to setup with life skills for years to come. I had it narrowed down to VMI and Valpo. I had valpo in the final 2 since I loved their coaching staff and they had been my first offer. I ultimately chose VMI however due to the more education opportunities at VMI and the better competition of the SOCON and out of conference play." NFN: What does it feel like to be committed to play Division 1 football? And what about the military aspect of the school stood out for you? Murphy: "Being able to play D1 ball is a dream come true. It’s a blessing. Really don’t have the words to describe it. All Glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the end of the day. Just with not getting a ton of playing time my sophomore year I wasn’t sure if playing college ball was going to be a possibility but now being here, it’s just a blessing. It’s just amazing. And the military aspect of the school is just going to set me up with leadership skills and discipline that are going to set me up for life." NFN: Now tell us a little bit about Hopkins' 2019 season and what can you say about your Royal career? Murphy: "Our Hopkins season was INCREDIBLE. We were 6-2. Our best regular season record in a decade. My senior class. We only won one game as sophomores and just being able to rally together put in the work and have it reflect in our record is just so amazing. Our biggest games for us were our road games. We went undefeated on the road in the regular season and beat all 4 teams on their homecoming. And all those games were super close which were just huge boosts for us because in years past we weren’t great at finishing in close games. My career at Hopkins I’m going to forever be proud of. The fact that me and my brothers were able to turn around our program TOGETHER is something I am always going to remember. Fighting through adversity. A one win season. People quitting. Our core group of seniors stuck through all of it." NFN: What position will you be playing in college and what kind of player is VMI getting? Murphy: "I will be playing Tight End for my man Coach Moore. And VMI is getting a player who knows how to fight through adversity, a grinder and a passionate leader. GO KEYDETS BABY!" <div class="gs"> <div class=""> <div id=":q9" class="ii gt"> <div dir="auto">Couldn't have said it better myself, Jimmy. I'm very much looking forward to watching your career in Virgina! </div> </div> <div dir="auto"></div> </div> </div>