Tigers Today: 'Explosive' Myles Murphy ready to take next step

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‘Explosive’ Myles Murphy ready for sophomore season

Myles Murphy did just about everything he could as a freshman.

The 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive end finished with 51 total tackles, including a team-high 12.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and a pass breakup across 12 games. The stellar rookie season landed him on numerous freshman All-American teams, and the AP named him ACC Co-Newcomer of the Year.

But Murphy is now ready to take the next step in his Clemson career. The Tigers have produced recent defensive end draft picks such as Shaq Lawson and Clelin Ferrell. There’s no reason why Murphy can’t become next in line.

First, however, he has to continue building on the impressive opening year.

“Myles [Murphy], he’s had a good spring,” Brent Venables said during spring camp. “He’s long, he’s fast, he’s explosive. He’s really strong. Got a lot of natural strength.”

The next goal for Murphy should be breaking Keith Adams’ school record of 16 sacks in a single season. Lawson came close with 12.5 and Ferrell had 11.5. If Murphy can reach the number, that means Clemson’s defensive line is dominant, and the sophomore is a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award.

George Marks earns All-District honors

Clemson men’s soccer goalie George Marks was given Academic All-District distinction by CoSIDA on Thursday.

The junior exclude in the classroom and on the field throughout the 2020-21 academic year. With a 3.93 cumulative GPA in his psychology major, he is a four-time President’s List honoree and has been named to the Dean’s List twice. He also captained Clemson, earning the start in 19 of his 20 appearances. Marks registered five solo shutouts; he currently ranks eight all-time in career wins (31) and goals allowed average (.931).

He was previously given the honor during his sophomore year in 2019. Wednesday’s announcement makes Marks the only two-time recipient of the award in program history. He was the lone goalkeeper selection for District 4, which consists of all Division I programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and South Carolina.

Tigers student-athletes record 3.15 GPA in spring semester

Clemson student-athletes earned a 3.15 cumulative GPA in this spring semester, marking the sixth-consecutive semester the athletic department has had a cumulative GPA over 3.0. Nearly 300 student-athletes earned a 3.0 or better, and 73 individuals earned a 4.0

The football team finished the semester with a 2.89 cumulative GPA, while the men’s basketball team had a 2.87 and baseball team produced a 2.71. The ACC Champion men’s golf program earned a 3.19 while earning a No. 1 seed in an NCAA Regional.

The softball program registered a 3.42 GPA while earning an ACC Regular-Season Championship, while the women’s basketball team accumulated a 3.11.