Shawn Murphy

OG, OT · Utah State
The son of former Atlanta Braves baseball star, Dale Murphy, Shawn Murphy has quietly made a name for himself. He found a home at offensive guard for the Aggies in 2007, receiving one of the top blocking-consistency grades of any player at his position in the collegiate ranks. Even more impressive was the fact that his senior season was just his second year playing on the offensive line. At Lone Peak High School, Murphy was a second-team All-State and All-Region selection as a defensive end. He lettered three times on the gridiron, twice leading his team in quarterback sacks. Following his bloodlines, he also competed on the baseball team. Murphy's college career began in 2001, when he played defensive end at Ricks College, starting three of 12 contests. He did not attend school from 2002-04, spending two of those years serving on a church mission to Brazil. He returned to the United States and the gridiron in 2005, lettering at Dixie State Community College. He converted to the offensive line, as one tackle that was part of an unit that averaged 345.8 yards per game, as the front wall allowed 31 quarterback sacks en route to a Rotary Bowl invitation. Murphy transferred to Utah State in 2006. He played in all 12 games as a left offensive tackle for the Aggies. It was a learning experience for the youngster, as the team struggled to a 1-11 record. The offense managed just 254.4 yards per game, but the front wall began to jell, as that unit allowed just 19 quarterback sacks on 298 pass plays. As a senior, Murphy received All-American honorable mention and All-Western Athletic Conference second-team recognition. He again shifted positions, this time moving to left offensive guard. Even though the offense managed 277.9 yards per game and the line gave up 30 sacks and 12 pressures, Murphy graded 84.3 percent for blocking consistency, as he totaled 137 knockdowns and saw just one sack come over his area. After the season, Murphy was invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game, becoming the first USU offensive lineman to play in that game since center Tim Ruiz in 1986. "It's a great honor and I'm excited to be given the chance to play with guys from around the country," Murphy said. "I'm excited about the chance to show that I can play with those guys and hang with them." "I had no idea no other Utah State lineman has been selected in that long of time, it's pretty amazing given all the great lineman that have come through Utah State," Murphy said in reference to being the first Aggie lineman since Ruiz. "It's a great testament to (offensive lineman) Coach (Vance) Vice. Considering I came in as a defensive lineman and I was pretty rough around the edges, Coach Vice did a tremendous job of molding and shaping me into the offensive lineman I am now. I watch game film from last year even and it's embarrassing how rough I was." "We're very proud of what Shawn's accomplished in a short time," head coach Brent Guy said. "I think the thing that really attributes to his ability is that he played tackle his first year for us and then we moved him to guard this year. Obviously he has shown a lot of potential there because of the type of recognition he's getting and especially from the attention from the scouts."