Murphy lineman Mugharbil touting array of Division 1 offers heading into senior season.
Murphy – Murphy senior and rising football recruit Yousef Mugharbil had a packed schedule ahead of him heading into the summer.
The lineman had college recruiting visits to go on, football camps – including the Under Armour All-American Camp Series – to attend and plenty of offseason workouts planned heading into his final season with the Bulldogs.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread grew through the end of the spring, his schedule began clearing out, as the visits and camps that he had been planning on attending got postponed – or completely canceled due to the virus.
“All the camps that I had planned to go to, any visit that I was planning on going on, got canceled,” Mugharbil said of the virus’s impact on his offseason plans. “It’s a bummer, but I can’t really do anything about it.”
Still, Mugharbil has not been disheartened by the cancellations and postponements and said that he’s been working hard to improve his overall game this summer.
“I’ve honestly just been trying to get better at everything that I do,” Mugharbil said of his offseason goals. “Getting stronger, getting quicker. Just getting ready to have my best season yet.”
Standing tall at 6’5 and weighing in around 300 pounds, Mugharbil already has more than a dozen Division I football programs heavily recruiting him to come play for their teams.
And heading into his senior year, buzz continues to escalate around Mugharbil, who ESPN has ranked as the fourth-highest rated offensive guard in the 2021 recruiting class.
Mugharbil, who played soccer as a goalie prior to finding football, said that he fell in love with the sport during his freshman year and began to realize his potential after his sophomore season.
“My first year was ninth grade, my JV season, and after that I kind of found my love for football,” Mugharbil said. “After my sophomore season I really found myself getting into the groove of things and began seeing the potential and other people told me that too.”
“It all became more real. It was a surprise for sure,” he said of the Division I attention he began receiving after his sophomore season.
“But I didn’t want it to overwhelm me. It’s definitely a lot and something that you need to learn how to handle. I’m definitely very proud of myself and thankful for everyone that’s helped me.”
Mugharbil has not been alone throughout the recruiting process, as the Murphy coaching staff, including head coach David Gentry, have been by his side every step of the way.
“They’ve been the most helpful besides my family,” Mugharbil said of the Bulldogs coaching staff. “Every offer I’ve got, every visit, anything to do with it (recruiting) they’ve been there for me. They’ve helped me to understand everything and they’ve been a huge part of the process.”
On Saturday, Mugharbil was voted onto the 2020 NCPreps.com Pre-Season All-State team as an offensive lineman by more than 200 high school football coaches, an honor which he said has been one of his goals and is extremely gratifying.
The senior remains undecided on where he will continue his football career collegiality, but said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic added a little bit of difficulty to the process.
“I mean, it definitely adds a bit of difficulty but it’s nothing too major,” Mugharbil said of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on his recruiting. “I would’ve liked to have seen a lot of the campuses and facilities in person rather than do virtual tours but they (programs recruiting him) make do with what they can. It’s definitely been a let-down not being get all over and see places for myself, but it’s OK.”
With Gentry back at the helm and a strong group of starters returning Murphy, Mugharbil said he’s excited for his final campaign with the Bulldogs.
“I’m really excited,” Mugharbil said. “We’ve got a good group of seniors and we’re ready to show what we can do. I’m planning on going all the way and so is everyone else.”