FYI…he received a medical redshirt which is why he will be eligible to play this season:
Murphy had played parts of two seasons at Texas Tech before medically retiring in 2016 because of ongoing knee issues. He enrolled at UCLA before this season and played in the first four games before suffering another knee injury against Colorado in late September that required surgery to clean up cartilage damage.
Murphy, who played both tackle and guard, returned for the Bruins’ final two games of the season.
Hopefully his mother makes a full recovery and having him here brings joy to her and their family.
The O-Line is a strength this year.
Good news. I hope he holds up physically.
yeah, that’s my worry. Sounds like he’s been injured every year. Still, it creates depth so I’ll take it.
Murphy’s experience can help the young guys learn the blocking schemes and provide some veteran wisdom. I doubt he takes anything for granted with all the knee problems.
In one interview I watched last night, he talked about playing about 15-20 snaps in the game UCLA beat USC. He said the knee injury last year was to clean up some cartilage (shave some cartilage) and other than that the knee was structurally sound.
Glad to have him.
I’m with you on that Brad. I have lost so many family members and close friends to cancer that the mere word brings painful memories. For the young man to be here while his mother is going through her ordeal will be a huge relief to both he and his mother. When on member of the family has cancer the whole family is tremendously impacted. Football becomes of secondary importance in times like these.
If the OL is a strength and we can protect King and have a good running game…sky’s the limit.
The OL has a chance to be really good if they stay healthy and we can successfully plug in the two guard positions. Size for the first time I can remember will not be an issue with our line being 6’6-6’7 across the board and 6’4 at center.
Having that type of height with a qb behind them who can run like King does is tough to stop.
Really?
Has Braylon Jones ever played center, even in high school? That’s my big worry with the OL besides health. I know he is super smart, but it’s still a tall order.
The entire interior OL is a worry. There’s a reason they are going after transfers that can play inside
I like where we are at center. The tackles and center position should be a real strength. There is a lot of youth and low numbers to complete for the guard positions. Bardwell and Murphy may be a year away. Depth may still be an issue but I think the starting 5 may fill out real nice. They will be helped by having such a running threat at qb and a real OC calling plays.
100% agree with you. A 6’7" is a tremendous addition. Let’s see how he progresses through the Summer. Even if he plays a few snaps this will be hugely important for our schemes.
I’m thinking if our O-Line can control the line of scrimmage and the offensive pace we have way more than a puncher’s chance at coming back from Oklahoma 1-0!
While this is great news…He’s had some pretty bad injuries!! Hope he stays healthy!
Height is only a part of the equation; 275 is lighter than ideal for sure. A shorter guy at same weight would have leverage; but he will be going against heavier guys than that. He needs to put on about 25 pounds of muscle.