There is an old saying that goes, “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach,” or something like that. (Look guys, don’t blame me, blame George Bernard Shaw).
Turns out Ashton Murphy is doing both.
If you follow the papers you know about Ashton, the strapping young lad from Elkhorn South who has verbally committed to play his college ball at Nebraska. More on that in a bit.
What is of more immediate interest is the training Ashton is putting into his two-year-old brother, Daxton. “I’m trying to teach him to say ‘football’,” reports Ashton. See what I mean?
When he isn’t enhancing verbal skills Ashton is flashing his athletic skills, especially on the football field but also in the arena of track and field. Last April he gave his verbal to Big Red after fielding several other D-1 offers - Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota State among them - citing the relationship he had struck up with the Nebraska coaches, wanting to be part of their rebuild, and the fact it’s just an hour from home.
“I committed to Nebraska for couple different reasons but a lot of it had to do with the coaches because all of them are great people, and when I was down at practice I loved the way they coached,” says Ashton. “Another big part was the distance because Nebraska is only 45 minutes away so I’d be able to see my family or come back home very easily.”
A powerful athlete, he seems almost lean at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, but then again that lack of added bulk (for now) allows him to play a very athletic form of football, one which benefits him very well on both sides of the ball. Early in the recruiting process Ashton was almost always listed as an offensive tackle at the next level, though there is a good chance he plays defense at Lincoln. “Doesn’t matter, I just want the chance to play,” he says.
An all-stater as a junior, Ashton was reasonably pleased with his own personal play, and that of his 10-1 team. Both could have been better, he says, adding both will be this fall. A relentless worker, Ashton has great length and quickness and, more importantly, “I like to mix it up.” That’s him talking, not me.
Turns out Ashton comes by that attitude naturally as his father played football at Gross Catholic and his mother played hockey. That’s right, hockey. (Me guess is, when Mom calls for supper, people show up at the table, no questions asked.) Always a bigger kid, Ashton was what they call a “striper” back then, meaning he couldn’t carry the ball, “ which made sense,” he says, “because I have always though hitting people was fun.”
Uh, oh.
During his youth football career Ashton was bigger, sure, but he was also athletic enough to play running back and tight end on offense, and was also a kick returner who uncorked a few 40 and 50 yards returns. Things went very well through junior high and by early in his sophomore season Ashton was a varsity football player at powerful Elkhorn South. Ready or not.
“I sorta got thrown in there and I was pretty nervous, not knowing what to expect and not wanting to mess up, but pretty soon I felt like I fit in,” remembers Ashton. “I was also lucky that season that I had upperclassmen like Noah Bustard, Coen Thompson and Carter Jorth, who took me under my wing. They were my friends and they helped teach me the right way to do things, and from there things just seemed to click.”
Sure have. He’s established himself as a dominating blocker on offense - I mean, honestly, you don’t really have much of a chance - while on defense he was teamed with Bustard and current Husker Maverick Noonan to form on of our all-time best Huskerland defensive lines.
Born in Omaha, Ashton enjoys driving around and discussing the day’s events, as well as all types of horror movies - he loves that Michael Meyers’ style in the Halloween series - and he also enjoys fishing. He carries a solid 3.4 GPA and is active in both the school’s pep and SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) chapter.
We talked about his work in the arena of track and field. It was better than ever last May, when Ashton medaled for a second straight year in the shot put, which is pretty good for never having gone out for track until his sophomore. You know, sophomore year, when he broke the school shot put record in his first year out for the sport? Yeah, that one.
Once he gets to UNL Ashton is planning to study engineering - “I am pretty decent at math” - adding that seems like a fun profession.
Ashton is also looking forward to a couple of long held tradition for his senior season of football at Elkhorn South. One is winning, a lot, and the other is being part of the team’s interior lines.
“Our line tradition is something I am very proud to be a part of , and I want to keep it in good shape, then hand it on down. As a senior we will have a little more to say and I want to use that platform to be a good teammate and influence on our team.”
