Marcus Murphy just wants to play

During Missouri's biggest recruiting weekend of the year, it was DeSoto (TX) running back Marcus Murphy who got things rolling. The three-star back committed to the Tigers at the conclusion of Saturday's practice as first reported that morning by PowerMizzou.com.

"They all congratulated me and they all just started yelling," Murphy said.

While he had the Tigers on top of his list for quite some time, Murphy did not have it set in his mind he would commit during the visit.

"I didn't know that I was going to commit until I got there with the players and the coaches," he said. "It felt really good so I just went ahead and did it."

Murphy was hosted by Tiger redshirt freshman Kip Edwards. He said he also had a chance to meet a lot of Texas Tigers such as Jacquies Smith, Donovan Bonner, Sean Weatherspoon and Danario Alexander.

Murphy's commitment was the first of three for the Tigers over the weekend. He is also the third member of the class who could end up as a running back.

"They recruited me as an athlete. I'm going to start off as a running back, but my position may end up changing," he said. "I just want to play anywhere I can play."

Rivals.com national analyst Jeremy Crabtree said Murphy has the versatility to play on either side of the ball, but it was his offensive exploits that jumped out in high school.

"You watch tape on DeSoto and there's a guy that stands out every single time and that's Marcus Murphy," Crabtree said. "Regardless of who they're playing or what the score is, he just flat out dominates one way or the other. He's explosive with the ball in his hands, does exciting things in space, catches ball out of the backfield. You look at what Missouri wants to do with their running backs and he fits it almost perfectly."

Murphy ran for 1,419 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior this season.

Nobody covers Tiger recruiting like PowerMizzou.com. If you are not yet a member, just try out our free seven-day trial.