Mugharbil
Murphy – Much like the snowbirds who retreat down south in the fall months to escape the colder winter weather, Murphy High School senior football player Yousef Mugharbil will be heading to the Sunshine State next fall for his collegiate football career after announcing his commitment to the University of Florida over the weekend.
The offensive lineman prospect, who previously narrowed his list of college choices down to seven early in the summer, said the Gators’ coaching staff started recruiting him early. Once he had the opportunity to visit the school himself, he knew it was the right fit.
“Ever since they started recruiting me, I’ve always had a good relationship with the coaches there and we always kept in touch,” Mugharbil said of his choice. “And then whenever I went down there for a visit, I really got to see the campus for myself and everything else that I was able to see at that time. I think that kind of just made it more official for me and helped me see what I’d be dealing with.”
Once Mugharbil, who decided to return to Murphy High for his senior season in February rather than advance to early enrollment at Florida, is with the Gators, he will become the first Murphy player to sign with a Power Five college football program since Shawn Johnson at N.C. State University in the late 1980s, Murphy head coach David Gentry said.
“We don’t get many Power Five players, we get a lot of good players, we have a lot of high school players and players who have played at smaller colleges,” Gentry said. “But Carl Pickens, Shawn Johnson and now Yousef are the only three that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Gentry, who brought Mugharbil up to the Bulldogs’ varsity program as a sophomore, said that the growth that the lineman has shown in the past few years as a football player and as a young man are something to be proud of.
“When we got him as a sophomore he just had tremendous work ethic and he wanted to be good, so he has just gotten better with the little things,” Gentry said of Mugharbil’s growth since joining Murphy’s varsity program as a sophomore. “He’s always had that desire to win every battle, which is what you need to do no matter where you play. And lineman is a bit of an unheralded position, as far as fans don’t really see and look at the lineman, but he’s doing such a great job and we’re real proud of him.
“He’s a great young man, and he’s continued to be a good leader for our program.”
For Mugharbil, who is laser-focused on leaving Murphy High with another championship ring in his possession this spring, the reality of his collegiate future is finally starting to set in since he’s officially committed to Florida.
“Yes, but it’s definitely not something that I ever expected in the past,” Mugharbil said when asked if the reality of his commitment to a major football program has set in yet. “At first it didn’t really seem real at all, but as it kept going forward it’s became more of a reality for me.
“I’m really blessed and excited for what is next.”