Former Top 5 national recruit who earned Freshman All-America honors from several outlets in 2020 and a fourth-team All-American selection from Phil Steele in 2021 ... credited with 139 tackles (37.0 for loss), 17.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups in 1,543 snaps over 38 games (27 starts) ... joined Gaines Adams, Vic Beasley and Clelin Ferrell as the only Clemson players since 2000 to post multiple seasons with multiple forced fumbles and at least four sacks ... joined Louisville's Yasir Abdullah as the only two Power Five players to record at least 35 tackles for loss and at least six forced fumbles across the 2020-22 seasons ... was the only player in the country to produce at least 10 tackles for loss and at least one forced fumble in each of those three seasons.
Former Top 5 national recruit who earned Freshman All-America honors from several outlets in 2020 and a fourth-team All-American selection from Phil Steele in 2021 … credited with 139 tackles (37.0 for loss), 17.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups in 1,543 snaps over 38 games (27 starts) … joined Gaines Adams, Vic Beasley and Clelin Ferrell as the only Clemson players since 2000 to post multiple seasons with multiple forced fumbles and at least four sacks … joined Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah as the only two Power Five players to record at least 35 tackles for loss and at least six forced fumbles across the 2020-22 seasons … was the only player in the country to produce at least 10 tackles for loss and at least one forced fumble in each of those three seasons.
2022: First-team All-ACC selection … second-team All-ACC honoree by the AP … third-team All-ACC selection by Phil Steele … credited with 45 tackles (11.0 for loss), a team-high-tying 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 580 defensive snaps over 13 games (11 starts) … named ESPN’s 33rd-best player in college football for 2022 … broke up a pass at Georgia Tech … added four tackles vs. Furman … added three tackles (2.0 for loss) with a sack vs. Louisiana Tech … contributed six tackles, a half-sack and a pass breakup at No. 21 Wake Forest … credited with four tackles, including 1.5 sacks, vs. No. 10 NC State, sharing team defensive player of the game honors … contributed three tackles (one for loss) and a pass breakup at Boston College … recorded six tackles (3.5 for loss), 2.0 sacks and the sixth forced fumble of his career at Florida State … had a half-sack among his two tackles vs. No. 14 Syracuse … posted four tackles (one for loss) with a sack at Notre Dame … registered one tackle vs. Louisville … notched four tackles (one for loss) vs. Miami (Fla.) … recorded five tackles vs. South Carolina … collected three tackles vs. No. 24 North Carolina.
2021: Second-team All-ACC selection … collected first-team all-conference honors from the PFF and Phil Steele and second-team honors from the AP … fourth-team All-American according to Phil Steele … credited with 43 tackles, a team-high 14.0 tackles for loss, team-best 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups in 549 snaps over 13 games (10 starts) … recorded four tackles (1.5 for loss) with a sack vs. No. 5 Georgia … credited with two tackles (0.5 for loss) vs. Georgia Tech … added seven tackles (one for loss) at NC State … recorded five tackles (2.5 for loss) with 1.5 sacks vs. Boston College, his first multi-sack game since his collegiate debut a year earlier … made one tackle at No. 23 Pitt … earned ACC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week and team defensive player of the game after being credited with five tackles (three for loss), a career-high-tying 2.0 sacks and a blocked PAT vs. Florida State, Clemson’s first blocked placekick since the 2020 season opener and first blocked PAT since November 2018 … added five tackles and a pass breakup at Louisville … contributed three tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in earning defensive player of the game honors vs. UConn … recorded three tackles, a sack and a forced fumble vs. No. 13 Wake Forest, becoming the first Clemson player to force a fumble in consecutive games since Vic Beasley against NC State and Wake Forest in 2013 … made five tackles (one for loss) at South Carolina … posted three tackles (one for loss) vs. Iowa State.
2020: Freshman All-American according to The Athletic, ESPN, Rivals and the Football Writers Association of America … named ACC Co-Newcomer of the Year by the AP … third-team All-ACC pick by PFF … credited with 51 tackles (including a team-high 12.0 for loss), 4.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pass breakup in 414 snaps over 12 games (six starts) … was the first Clemson true freshman in the Dabo Swinney era to record three forced fumbles in a season as well as the first Clemson freshman (true or redshirt) with three forced fumbles in a season since redshirt freshman Ed McDaniel in 1988 … along with fellow true freshmen Bryan Bresee and Trenton Simpson, their four sacks each tied William Perry (4.0 in 1981), Ricky Sapp (4.0 in 2006) and Shaq Lawson (4.0 in 2013) for third-most sacks by a Clemson true freshman all-time … shined in collegiate debut at Wake Forest, producing a team-high seven tackles (three for loss) including two sacks … he and fellow true freshman Bryan Bresee became the first Clemson first-year freshmen to record a sack in a season opener since Dexter Lawrence and Tre Lamar in 2016, and Murphy became the first true freshman to post 2.0 sacks in a game since Lawrence in the 2016 ACC Championship Game … tied for the team lead with 2.0 tackles for loss among his three tackles vs. The Citadel, also forcing a fumble that led to James Skalski’s 17-yard scoop and score … posted a six-tackle performance vs. Virginia … added five tackles including a half-sack vs. No. 7 Miami … credited with four tackles (1.5 for loss), a sack and a forced fumble at Georgia Tech, sharing team defensive player of the game honors … added three tackles (0.5 for loss) vs. Syracuse … contributed three tackles vs. Boston College … made five tackles (one for loss) at No. 4 Notre Dame … added a tackle vs. Pitt … recorded seven tackles (one for loss) and a forced fumble at Virginia Tech … notched a half-sack in ACC Championship Game vs. No. 2 Notre Dame … contributed six tackles (1.5 for loss) and a pass breakup in Sugar Bowl vs. No. 3 Ohio State.
Before Clemson: Played for Phillip Ironside at Hillgrove High School in Marietta, Ga. … as a senior in 2019, posted 53 tackles, including 19 tackles for loss, 10.5 of which were sacks … had a fumble recovery and a blocked kick … in 2018, had 55 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks … helped team to the quarterfinals of the state 7A playoffs and the team finished 12-1, the most wins in school history … at the time of his signing, was listed as the No. 3 overall player in the nation by ESPN.com, which also listed him as the No. 2 defensive end in the nation and No. 1 player in state of Georgia … listed as the No. 5 overall player in the nation, the top defensive end and the top player in Georgia by PrepStar … ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the nation by 247Sports, the top defensive end and No. 1 player in Georgia … Rivals.com ranked him as the ninth overall player in the nation, No. 2 defensive end and top player in Georgia … named to the Atlanta Journal Constitution preseason Super 11 team for 2019 … U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection … committed to Clemson on May 17, 2019 at his school’s spring game … recruited to Clemson by Brandon Streeter and Lemanski Hall.
Personal: Born Jan. 3, 2002 … majoring in construction science and management … plans to follow a similar path as his brother, an engineering major, and has expressed aspirations of becoming an architect … enrolled at Clemson in January 2020 … his father, Willard Murphy, played at Chattanooga and his older brother, Maxwell, played at NAIA Worcester Polytechnic in Massachusetts.
Note: Tackle stats in the bio above reflect statistics from coaches film review. Tackle stats in the table below reflect those as awarded by gameday stat crews.
