Gators LB Target Shawn Murphy Sets Commitment Date
A priority target for the Florida Gators in the class of 2022, Unity Reed (Va.) linebacker Shawn Murphy has identified a commitment date of August 1, set to make his college decision at the beginning of the next month.
Murphy named Florida as one of his top five schools earlier in July, alongside Alabama, LSU, Ohio State and Penn State. Murphy has not officially visited any of the schools on his list but unofficially toured Florida on June 3, as well as some other universities during that month.
UF has already secured a commitment from Faith Academy (Ala.) 2022 linebacker Shemar James, but would like to continue plugging athleticism into the middle of its defense. Murphy's addition would certainly accomplish that.
Murphy caught the eyes of the AllGators' staff during the Under Armour Future 50 camp in June, memorably keeping up in coverage with the top receiver and our MVP of the entire event, Evan Stewart.
Following the camp, Murphy detailed his potential role in the Gators' defense based on the conversations he's had with linebackers coach Christian Robinson.
“I would play at an inside backer position, but I know in college you don’t have a specific position. If you linebacker, you play linebacker, every linebacker position. So you’re more versatile, and you’re more valuable as a player. Your money goes up," Murphy told AllGators. "I know when I start off, I would be a WILL [weakside linebacker], but I know he wants to move me around at every position so I can learn everything, so my draft stock would go up.”
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