He’s staying home: Coveted WR recruit Donovan Murph commits to South Carolina
Irmo High School four-star receiver Donovan Murph has decided where he’s playing college football next fall, and he won’t have to go far.
On Thursday afternoon, Murph revealed a commitment to South Carolina in an announcement right before the start of the Under Armour All-America Game in Deland, Florida. He picked the hometown Gamecocks over Clemson, Colorado, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
“Right now, they are building something special over there and I definitely want to be a part of that,” Murph said on ESPN2 after his announcement. “Coach Beamer and Coach Furrey, I’m close with the whole staff and they continue to show me love. So show love to who shows love to you so I’m staying home.”
Murphy was joined by his family at the table for his announcement and pulled out a Gamecocks hat from his Under Armour bag to announce his choice. During the game, he had a spectacular, one-handed, 26-yard catch for his lone catch.
Murph (6-foot-2, 188 pounds) took his official visit to South Carolina for the Texas A&M game on Nov. 1 and made a couple visits there earlier this fall. He also was at Clemson for back-to-back home games vs. The Citadel and South Carolina in late November.
“The message is still the same, come make an impact early and be a freshman phenom,” Murph told The State last month of the Gamecocks. “They tell me with me I fit what they are trying to do and keeping the Columbia guys at home. They have a great quarterback in LaNorris (Sellers), a Heisman-caliber guy. They showed me they got a quarterback who can throw me the ball.”
Murph is cousin of former Gamecock great Alshon Jeffery, who had his jersey retired in 2023 and played nine seasons in the NFL with the Bears and Eagles.
Murph won’t enroll at USC until June 2025 but is a year ahead of schedule. A high school junior and originally a 2026 recruit, he announced Oct. 1 that he’ll graduate a year early and enroll at college in time for the summer session.
He’s one of six wide receivers in South Carolina’s 2025 recruiting class with four coming from South Carolina. Jordon Gidron (Ridge View) also reclassified from 2026 so he could enroll early at USC and practiced with the Gamecocks before their bowl game against Illinois.
“They are ready to unleash the fury at the wide receiver position. Wide receiver coach Mike Furrey got to be really happy. Five receivers in this class that are ranked four-star or higher,” ESPN Recruiting Coordinator Craig Haubert said on the broadcast. “Murph not only brings good speed but excellent size at the position.”
Recruiting services rank Murph as a four-star prospect. The 247Sports Composite rankings have him as No. 6 in the state for Class of 2025.
That service also ranks Murph as the nation’s No. 30 receiver and No. 233 overall recruit (the fifth best overall ranking among USC’s 26 high school commits).
Murph had a breakout season this year in helping Irmo to the Class 5A Division II championship game. Catching passes from Virginia Tech QB signee AJ Brand, Murph led the team with 96 receptions for 1,328 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the title game against Northwestern, he hauled in eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2023, the Irmo standout caught 57 passes for 1,087 yards and school-record 17 TDs.
South Carolina’s 2025 signing class: The offense
- Quarterback (1): Cutter Woods
- Wide receiver (6): Malik Clark, Lex Cyrus, Jordon Gidron, Donovan Murph, Brian Rowe, Jayden Sellers
- Tight end (1): Mike Tyler
- Offensive line (2): Damola Ajidahun, Shedrick Surratt Jr.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 4:05 PM.
