This Blue-Chip Arkansas Recruit Most Resembles a Pac-12 Heisman Winner

Quentin Murphy, Arkansas recruiting, Arkansas football
photo credit: Nick Wenger / Twitter

It’s still a long way out, but Arkansas appears to be in the early lead for a standout in-state quarterback in the Class of 2025. Quentin Murphy, who plays at Joe T. Robinson in Little Rock, has started racking up offers in the past year and, based on a couple of recruiting outlets, he may be a future Razorback to watch.

Recently rated a four-star athlete in the initial Rivals250 for 2025, Murphy checks in at No. 249 overall and No. 3 in the state. Arkansas football is the only school with a “warm” rating on his 247Sports profile and there is a 76% chance he stays home according to On3’s prediction machine.

However, it is still very early and only time will tell, but Arkansas appears to be in a good spot with the in-state star.

“I love the Hogs,” Murphy told Otis Kirk of Pig Trail Nation when he was offered last summer. “I’m from Little Rock, so I call it home. I love it. Coach Sam Pittman is a wonderful coach. Great environment.”

Recruitment of Quentin Murphy

After a Division II school, Delta State, gave him his first offer, the floodgates opened for Murphy. Utah was his first FBS offer and others quickly followed: Tennessee and Pitt before the end of his freshman year and then several more during the summer.

By the start of his sophomore year, he had been offered by seven Power Five programs, including Arkansas.

He is now up to 13 offers. Most notably, Alabama entered the mix Jan. 2. That came less than a month after Oklahoma offered and just a few days after Deion Sanders and Colorado joined the race.

As a Little Rock athlete, Arkansas may have the first foot in the door. He plays for coach Todd Eskola at Joe T. Robinson, which has produced 11 FBS signees in the previous eight classes – the most of any high school in the state, ahead of both Fayetteville (9) and Pulaski Academy (9).

Included in that number are four who signed with the Razorbacks: T.J. Hammonds, Koilan Jackson, David Porter, Zach Williams, JT Towers and E’Marion Harris. Like Murphy, three of those players – Hammonds, Williams and Harris – were four-star recruits by at least one service.

That is a good sign for the Hogs, but a lot can happen before Murphy commits. He hasn’t reached the stage of his recruitment when he can take official visits, but he has been on Arkansas’ campus a couple of times already.

He attended a camp last June and it was his performance there that earned him the offer from Arkansas.

“Getting an Arkansas offer means a lot,” Murphy told Kirk. “It’s a dream come true. Arkansas is my home, and to be a part of this wonderful program is amazing. I have been staying humble and working hard for this. I just can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Murphy was back in Fayetteville for one of the Razorbacks’ Prospect Days in January, which was an important trip because it was not long after Arkansas brought in Dan Enos to replace Kendal Briles as its offensive coordinator.

Scouting Report 

At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Murphy already has good size for his age with plenty of time to grow. He has an athletic build with long legs to help him stride on his breakaway runs. 

This past fall, during his sophomore season, Murphy displayed his speed and a rocket arm. He used his legs to pick up large chunks of yards and easily evade defenders. 

In 12 games, Murphy completed 59% of his passes for 1,388 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions, according to MaxPreps. He also ran for 569 yards and eight touchdowns on a team-high 113 carries. 

He already has a very strong arm as a sophomore. In his film below, there are multiple clips of him tossing the ball deep down the field with ease. For the most part, he also hits his receivers in stride. Quentin Murphy can still hone his craft and work on his touch, but he is still very young and obviously has the physical talent to throw the deep ball.

The overwhelming majority of his highlights are from scrambles and deep passes. That is a similar skill set to the current Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson. However, they have different body types, as Jefferson was much bigger (6-foot-3, 211 on National Signing Day). 

Murphy also bears some resemblance to a young Marcus Mariota, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 as the quarterback at Oregon. That’s not to say he should begin prepping a Heisman speech or fans should expect that level of play, but both have game-changing speed and a knack for the deep ball. Mariota did look a little more polished in his high school film, but Murphy only recently completed his sophomore year.

What it Would Mean for Arkansas

Quentin Murphy is already a very talented prospect. He has the presence of a much older quarterback and is gifted with physical attributes that will play up at the next level. As he gains experience and polishes his passing, he could be a very good college quarterback. 

There is a lot of potential in Murphy, and it appears Arkansas may be in the lead as of now, but there is still a long way to go in the race and bidding war for Quentin Murphy. It’s also worth noting that the Razorbacks have also offered fellow in-state 2025 quarterback Grayson Wilson since Dan Enos was hired.

It’s hard to know exactly what the quarterback situation will be in 2025 for Arkansas football, but the room currently seems to be as healthy as it’s been in recent years with KJ Jefferson, Cade Fortin, Jacolby Criswell and Malachi Singleton.

Jefferson and Fortin will be gone by then, but Criswell could be a super senior, while Singleton would be a redshirt sophomore or junior in 2025. The Razorbacks will also presumably add a quarterback in the 2024 class. They were recently included in the top seven for Air Noland, a top-100 prospect who will announce his decision on April 8.

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