Southeast Missouri State football signee: Marquette Murdock

Marquette Murdock

The Basics

Name: Marquette Murdock

High School: Ridgeway High School (Memphis, Tenn.)

Position: Tight end

Measurables: 6-foot-3, 225 pounds

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Profile

From the first time he stepped onto a football field in high school, Marquette Murdock knew he wanted to be a tight end.

"He was always our tight end. Never really thought about playing anywhere else," Ridgeway coach Duron Scott said. "He was on a good freshman team that ended up winning the West Tennessee state championship and he was an integral part of that because we use our tight end a lot here at Ridgeway. I think that's when he really fell in love with it. A tight end is a quarterback's best friend ,especially that early because they end up developing great chemistry and they both get confidence. Murdock just blossomed from there."

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound tight end caught 12 touchdowns and had more than 400 receiving yards in his final season with the Roadrunners.

Sutton added that there is much more to Murdock's game than just catching passes.

"He started maturing as a blocker I'd say towards the end of his 10th grade season," Sutton said. "We're a balanced offense, so he had to learn how to do a little bit of catch and block in every game. A lot of time's now, the way offenses are set, he has to be able to block, but he also has to be able to run and catch and then turn it into more of the halfback position, but he's made for that."

Murdock signed to play with Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday, but the selection process was a grueling one him. He also had scholarship offers from Ohio Valley Conference defending champions Jacksonville State, Cincinnati, Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas Southern.

There were plenty of factors that led to his decision, but Sutton said the fact that Cape Girardeau felt like home to Marquette had the greatest impact.

"I just think he believed in Coach Tuke. He felt the direction the program was going in was going to be good in the hands of Coach Tuke," Sutton said. "He enjoyed the rest of the coaching staff that they have over there and he thought the players seemed like they had a will to win. When he would come back from a visit, he said he felt like he was at home. Anytime you can feel like that, it's a good place to be."