Evergreen’s Utah recruit Murphy adding offseason muscle

“Nobody works like that dude,” Johnson said. “No one works harder than Justice Murphy.”

At 6-1 with Division-I speed, Murphy, a receiver, added 15 pounds of muscle to his frame this offseason, now at 190 pounds.

He also had to shine at the 7-on-7 clinics and football camps, to make an impression.

As a junior at Evergreen, he did lead the team in receptions and yards, but his numbers (31 receptions for 403 yards) certainly did not jump out as anything extraordinary. Football is a team game, and often the best athlete on a team is the target of most defenses.

“The numbers don’t explain my athleticism,” Murphy said.

Still, he acknowledged those numbers were not up to his own standards.

“I worked hard, but obviously not enough.”

The day after Evergreen’s last game last fall, Murphy was in the weight room, promising himself he would demand attention from colleges.

Sure enough, he did excel at those camps, competing against some of the best prospects in the country.

Wyoming was the first team to offer Murphy a scholarship.

“I couldn’t even explain that feeling,” he said.

The offer was validation for all that he had done. Other schools made offers, as well. Eastern Washington. Idaho, to name a couple.

“It made me more hungry,” Murphy said. “It made me work that much harder.”

Which brings us back to Evergreen’s practice field behind the school’s gym.

Not much going on there are 4, 5 in the morning. A janitor once stopped Murphy to ask what he was doing, then walked away, either impressed with Murphy or questioning his sanity.

Johnson said while other teens are playing video games, Murphy became a video game.

“Justice’s X-Box is the field. He pushes his power button on,” Johnson said. “He comes out here, and this is his controller.”

The football field is where Murphy is in control. He runs routes on his own, works on his conditioning, performs agility drills — by himself for much of the workout. He has been known to go on Twitter to let people know his early morning schedule, inviting anybody else to join him. His teammates do, but not always so early. Maybe 6 o’clock instead.

Between workout and school, Murphy goes home to give his sister Hunter a ride to school. Their mom, Heather Murphy, is already at her job before school starts.

That won’t be for long, if Justice has anything to say about it.

Steve Smith, the longtime receiver with the Carolina Panthers and now with the Ravens, went to Utah. He is one of Murphy’s sports idols. Murphy hopes to follow in Smith’s footsteps to the NFL.

“I don’t want her to have to work again,” Justice said of his mom. “This is something bigger than myself.”

Heather said he does not need his son to take care of her, but she appreciates the gesture. Justice wrote a message on her birthday saying there is no way he could repay her for all that she had done for him and his sister.

Family is big for Justice Murphy, which is why he said yes to Utah so soon. The team’s offensive coordinator, Dave Christensen, visited Murphy in Vancouver, and the two had a respect for one another right away.

“I felt I could play my heart out for this guy and learn from this guy, and he’ll give me the best chance to make it to the next level,” Murphy said.

Making his college decision so soon before his senior year will not change his approach, Murphy said.

“A lot of people think I can relax. Total opposite,” Murphy said. “I have a target on my back now. I have to live up to this standard.”

If he lives up to his own expectations, perhaps Evergreen football will move up to the next level, too. The Plainsmen have not made the postseason since 2007.

“Go to state,” Murphy said of the team goal. “If you say anything less, you shouldn’t be on the field.”

Justice Murphy is on the field, seemingly all the time.

Every wake-up, every route, every drill is just move closer to his dream.