How Cardinals rookie DB Byron Murphy became a man while sitting out a football season -

Shannon Strickland still remembers watching powerlessly as her 18-year-old son, Byron Murphy, was consumed by stress in the days leading up to his college commitment announcement at Scottsdale Saguaro High in February 2016.

“It was almost torturing him picking between Washington and Arizona State,” Strickland said. “He wasn’t sleeping, he wasn’t eating, he was literally physically sick over the decision. The morning of the ceremony, I signed two letters – I signed one for ASU, and I signed one for Washington – and he didn’t know where he was going even up to the minute of his announcement.”

That choice between staying home and going away was the beginning of a pivotal period in Murphy’s life — a year of adversity that those close to him agree was crucial in his rise to becoming the Cardinals’ 2019 second-round pick.

The easiest choice for Murphy, of course, would’ve been to commit to ASU, only a few miles from his hometown of Scottsdale. Sun Devils fans were familiar with Murphy’s All-American talent as both a defensive back and a receiver at Saguaro, and were prepared to welcome him with open arms.

By picking ASU, Murphy would be close to the family he loves, and he’d also be keeping his word on a promise to play his college football alongside two of his closest friends. Chandler’s N’Keal Harry and Chase Lucas had signed with the Sun Devils three months prior. Throughout their recruiting process, Murphy, Harry and Lucas promoted themselves to college coaches as a package deal. Also, in all likelihood, ASU would’ve given Murphy the chance to start immediately as a freshman — an opportunity he truly desired.

To the outside world, Murphy to ASU appeared to be a done deal. However, things weren’t that simple. Washington was a Pac-12 powerhouse that consistently produced premier NFL talent, especially at the defensive back position. And the Huskies’ defensive backs coach, Jimmy Lake, was heralded as one of the best in the business.

In Murphy’s mind, staying home was probably the safest bet, and a decision that would make everyone around him happy. But the idea of learning under a defensive guru such as Lake was just as enticing, despite the fact that he would have to sacrifice the comfort of being around those who cared about him most.

“He was very, very torn,” Strickland said.

Murphy desperately needed guidance, so he routinely reached out to Christian Kirk, a former high school teammate he saw as a brother. During Kirk’s senior season at Saguaro — Murphy’s junior year — the two led the Sabercats to a 14-0 record, and an Arizona Division III state title. Kirk went on to play three seasons at Texas A&M under head coach Kevin Sumlin, then was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“I remember going into my last season in high school when Byron transferred over from Marcos de Niza,” Kirk said. “Coach brought him into the weight room and told me to take him under my wing and just show him the way — show him how to work. From that day on, I held him to a high standard, making sure he was doing all the right things on and off the field. So before his decision, I was on the phone with him constantly talking him through it. I could relate, because I went through the same experience during my recruiting process.”

The pressure on Murphy increased in the hours leading up to National Signing Day. Both ASU and Washington were making last-minute pushes to sign Murphy, with ASU even offering him the opportunity to walk on to the men’s basketball team. But in the end, Murphy went with his gut. He went with the choice that would best set him up for a prosperous NFL future. And in one of the biggest upsets of the 2016 recruiting cycle, Murphy chose Washington. It was Murphy’s strong relationship with Lake — and Washington head coach Chris Petersen — that ultimately tipped the scale.

“I feel like I connected with them throughout the whole high school process,” Murphy said. “I felt like getting away was kind of the best thing for me — becoming a man and just learning new things on my own. I knew I had to do something for myself, better myself as a person. I realized it wasn’t up to other people to make my decision.”

As all good friends would, Harry and Lucas respected Murphy’s choice. There was no love lost between them despite the broken promise, and even though the trio would be going their separate ways, Murphy knew that one day they would come together again and reconnect.

“Just seeing him with the purple hat on, it kind of (hurt) my heart,” Lucas told the Arizona Republic following Murphy’s announcement in 2016. “I wish it would have been ASU and he threw the forks up, but it’s all good. That’s my boy til the day I die.”

Weeks later, when Murphy was preparing for the move to Seattle with his mother, his decision to attend Washington suddenly didn’t seem as clear. He hadn’t even left for college yet when his girlfriend, Alex Rodriguez, told him she was pregnant with his son. Over time, Malakai — now two years old — would prove to be a blessing for Murphy and his primary source of motivation. But in the moment, just as Murphy was on the verge of beginning his life and career, the news was almost too much for him to immediately process.

“I had to go in my room by myself,” Murphy said. “I really had to sit there and take a break to figure everything out.”

Strickland’s motherly advice was for Murphy to see it through and rely on his faith in God’s plan. Murphy’s decision to play at Washington had already been made, and Strickland expected her son to stand by his commitment. The stress of balancing school, football and preparing to become a father would be hard for anyone to handle. Still, Murphy had no choice but to man up quicker than he ever imagined.

Before Murphy left for school, he dedicated all of the time he had to making sure Rodriguez was as comfortable as possible. He even started organizing travel plans for her so she could come visit him regularly.

“It was unexpected for sure, but once I processed everything, I knew I had to get ready for it,” Murphy said. “I’m a father. I had to make sure I stepped up to the plate.”

When Murphy finally got on campus, Lake says he was impressed by the way he went about his business. He was focused, motivated and ready to be an impact player for the Huskies right away. Murphy was sure he was starter material as a true freshman, but his coaches felt otherwise.

During a meeting in Lake’s office ahead of Washington’s 2016 season, Murphy was told he would be redshirted. Washington’s roster was loaded with talent in the secondary, and in Lake’s mind, it didn’t make sense for Murphy to play in only 25 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps when he could just sit back, put on weight and improve his overall athleticism. Lake and Petersen had a plan in place to develop his skill set, but this was the last thing Murphy wanted to hear.

“That’s something I didn’t want to do, I wanted to be on the field right away,” Murphy said.

And why wouldn’t Murphy be frustrated? He was the highest-rated recruit in the Huskies’ 2016 class, a four-star signee who held 26 Division I offers. Murphy rarely came off the field playing on both sides of the ball at Saguaro, and naturally, those experiences left him feeling a certain level of entitlement. Murphy had dreamed about playing in the NFL since he was six years old, and although that dream was still within reach, being redshirted felt like a step in the wrong direction.

Strickland says the redshirt news initially drove Murphy into a mild depression, and briefly, he even considered transferring from Washington, but Strickland encouraged her son to be patient. Murphy’s high school coach at Saguaro, Jason Mohns, reinforced another mantra.

“I always preach to my players that they should control what they can control,” Mohns said. “At a program like Washington, you have to know that they’re recruiting and developing the best players. By the time I called Byron, I think he had already come to terms with the situation. We just talked about him using that opportunity as a chance to grow physically and mentally – become a man. Coach Lake did a tremendous job being up front with him, communicating with him and keeping him engaged during that redshirt year.”

Murphy dropped his ego and changed his mentality. He internalized his frustration and remembered why he came to Washington in the first place — to learn how to play the cornerback position at an elite level through Lake’s guidance and to study the habits of his NFL-bound teammates ahead of him on the roster. During his redshirt season, those defensive players were Kevin King, Sidney Jones, Zeke Turner and Budda Baker.

“They were working me, just making sure I stayed disciplined with my technique and everything,” Murphy said.

Murphy was placed on the scout team where he competed in practice every day against two future NFL receivers, John Ross and Dante Pettis, which is a tall order for anyone. Baker, who was a junior safety at Washington during Murphy’s redshirt season, immediately recognized his potential, as well as the areas where he needed to improve.

“He was very athletic, not a lot of technique yet, but very athletic and had tremendous ball skills,” said Baker, who was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. “For him, he was probably always the fastest player on the field in high school, so what he would do is he would just turn and run with a guy. Once he got to Washington, he couldn’t really do that because a lot of guys were his speed, if not faster. He wouldn’t really get hands on and physical, he would just turn and run.

“I could tell being redshirted bothered him, but he never expressed anything negative. He would always do what he could do to get better every day to ultimately get on the field.”

Through routine trials by fire — and persistent observation — Murphy steadily improved and began to embrace his role, though it wasn’t the role he originally expected. According to Lake, he took meticulous notes in every team meeting and “kicked butt” in the weight room, all while maintaining a 3.5 GPA. In fact, Murphy’s efforts in the classroom prompted Petersen to write a handwritten letter to Mohns expressing appreciation for Byron’s academic success. At the team’s postseason banquet, Murphy was recognized as the Defensive Scout Squad MVP. Murphy also took home the Ultimate “Loco Perros” Award for his unwavering commitment to strength and conditioning.

Murphy admits that he was homesick at times during his first year at Washington, but Lake and the rest of the team’s coaching staff did everything in their power to always make him feel welcome. He felt even more at home when his mother moved to Seattle in the middle of his redshirt season. Once Murphy established his schedule, Rodriguez began traveling back and forth from Arizona to visit him every other week. And when his son finally arrived Feb. 11, 2017, Murphy was settled and prepared to help with the responsibility.

He invested his residual scholarship money into supporting Malakai and Rodriguez in any way possible. Today, his mom says Murphy sees his son three to four times per week.

“When faced with that situation, you have a choice to go one way or the other and he stepped up,” Mohns said. “It’s probably been the best thing to ever happen to him and that’s probably what makes me the proudest. Not what kind of player he is, but what kind of dad he’s become. I think that tells you a lot about Byron’s character. When he was faced with that as a young man just starting out in the college football world, some people look at that as a negative and he looked at it as a positive. He’s owned it, he loves being a dad and he’s great at it.”

It was hard on Murphy watching from the sidelines as his brothers competed on game days, not to mention the lonely nights in his apartment when the team was on the road. But through that redshirt season, Murphy learned the value of patience. When Murphy’s opportunity to play finally came, he took full advantage.

In Murphy’s first career start for the Huskies in 2017, he recorded two interceptions in Washington’s 30-14 win over Rutgers, earning defensive player of the game honors in the process. After two more solid starts that year, he missed Washington’s next seven games with a broken foot, but returned for the team’s final three, finishing the season on a high note with a strong performance in a loss to Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl in front of his hometown crowd.

In 2018 as a redshirt sophomore, Murphy started all 14 games, ending the year with 58 combined tackles, four interceptions and 13 pass breakups. He emerged as the No. 1-rated college cornerback in the nation, and on Jan. 7, Murphy announced that he would forgo the remainder of his eligibility and enter his name in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Murphy was projected to be the first cornerback off the board on April 25, but waited in disappointment, surrounded by his family and friends at his draft party in Scottsdale, as the first round concluded without his name being called. It was indeed an emotional day for Murphy, but he took comfort knowing that his childhood friend, Harry, was selected by the Patriots with the 32nd overall pick.

Once again things weren’t going according to plan, but the lessons Murphy had learned throughout his college journey had prepared him for this possibility. And on day two of the draft, Murphy’s perseverance was finally rewarded when the Cardinals — the team he always dreamed of playing for as a kid — took him with pick No. 33 as if it were always meant to be.

“It can’t get better than this,” Murphy said. “I feel like a hometown hero.”

What started as a blind leap of faith ended in a perfect moment, and now Murphy finds himself back home in Arizona, exactly where he belongs.

(Photo of Byron Murphy on Nov. 3, 2018: Jennifer Buchanan / USA Today Sports)

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