Myles Murphy was a key cog up front for Clemson last season.
The scary part is he did it as a freshman and the ACC’s Co-Newcomer of the Year in 2020 is only going to get better.
Murphy met with the media after practice on Wednesday and said that he is extremely happy with where he is from physical standpoint this spring.
“A lot of people don’t realize that I played the whole last season between 275 and 278,” Murphy said. “Right now, I’m moving well with this weight at 280 so I’m good right now.”
“Last year physically I came in at 6-5, 265 and I was building into my college body. Now that I’m in my college body, I’m way far ahead of where I need to be endurance-wise, and pretty much everything because I’m moving very well right now with my weight, and I’m looking good right now.”
Murphy also picked up freshman All-American honors for his play last season, as well as being named third-team All-ACC. The rising sophomore said on top of being in a better place physically, he’s also in a better place when it comes to the mental aspect of the game.
“Mentally, I’m for sure far ahead of where I was last year at this time,” Murphy said. “I wasn’t really 100 percent into the playbook until after the opener. Now I’m in tune to the playbook and not just what I’m doing but the entire defense.”
Learning the entire playbook, not just the parts that relate to him, is something Murphy has made one of his top priorities this spring.
“Knowing the playbook down to a T,” Murphy said. “Last year, I knew the playbook as far as my role, but now I’m trying to learn the playbook as far as what everyone does on every blitz, and even coverage and where the quarterback can scramble up the middle or outside.”
As good as Murphy was during his freshman season, he said that one of his goals heading into next season is getting after the quarterback more often.
“Last year, I was good in the run game but my pass rush was I guess mediocre, or average, or maybe a little above average,” Murphy said. “I most definitely want to improve in that and get more pressure in drop-7, drop-8 coverages and get in the backfield and create pressure.”
Murphy thinks he is a part of a defensive front that has the potential to be really good this season and is very confident that the group will find the consistency it takes to be great.
“We can be really good actually,” Murphy said. “We are showing a lot of spark. Really, we are being very consistent actually. Some days we’ll go under the bridge sometimes, but once we get that consistency, chemistry together, I’m pretty sure we’ll be consistently showing out every week, every day. Consistency is the most important thing for us.”
