South Carolina lands transfer portal commitment at major position of need
On Monday, transfer portal linebacker Shawn Murphy committed to South Carolina, per On3’s Pete Nakos. The Virginia native joins the Gamecocks after three years with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles.
Murphy—who was once a highly-rated 4-star prospect at the linebacker position—brings a combination of experience and untapped potential to the table. He has three years of experience at big-time programs, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to stay on the field with much consistency. He missed much of the 2024 season with the ‘Noles due to injury but still logged 12 tackles in four games as a reserve.
Coming out of high school, the On3 industry rankings pegged Murphy as the No. 65 prospect in the country, the No. 2 player from Virginia, and the No. 6 linebacker in the class of 2022.
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As a player, Murphy is an athletic linebacker who can run sideline to sideline. That archetype has been a popular choice for defensive coordinator Clayton White in recent years. Listed at 6’2″ and 230 pounds in his FSU bio, Murphy also is built similarly to several current USC ‘backers.
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In the linebacker room, Murphy will battle with high-upside rising sophomore Fred “JayR” Johnson, former walk-on Ronnie Porter, redshirt junior Jaron Willis, and a host of freshmen for playing time. The Gamecocks will lose three seniors to graduation after the Citrus Bowl.
Because of a redshirt, Murphy will have two more years of eligibility remaining. However, based on his games played this fall, he may be able to apply for a medical redshirt for 2024. If successful, then the talented linebacker could have three years available to him in college.
Murphy joins offensive lineman Nick Sharpe, EDGE Jaylen Brown, tight end Jordan Dingle, and defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy in the Gamecocks’ transfer portal class.
