TicketsMurphy joined the Cincinnati football staff in February 2026, where he will oversee the cornerbacks.
He comes to Cincinnati after spending the 2025 season as the assistant cornerbacks coach at Rutgers. Prior to that, Murphy spent four seasons at Western Carolina.
At Western Carolina, Murphy coached the cornerbacks and was also the team’s assistant special teams coordinator for two seasons.
He mentored 2025 Phil Steele All-SoCon cornerback Hasaan Sykes in 2025, who led the team with three interceptions, as well as All-SoCon performer Ken Moore Jr.
Murphy arrived at Western Carolina after a successful stint at Tusculum.
In his first season at Tusculum, Murphy mentored a pair of All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) honorees including Dee Alford and Malik Goodman. Alford also garnered All-Region accolades and later signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. In the abbreviated 2021 season, Murphy helped Tusculum to a 4-1 overall record and dethroned Lenoir-Rhyne by claiming the 2021 SAC Spring Football Championship, the first for the Pioneers since 2008.
Under Murphy’s guidance, Tusculum freshman defensive back Jermaine Witherspoon collected a pair of interceptions including one in the title game, adding a pair of breakups on the spring season.
In 2019, Murphy was selected to participate in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
Murphy served as the cornerbacks coach at Valdosta State University in 2018 where he helped current Catamount head coach Kerwin Bell guide the Blazers to an undefeated season (14-0) and a NCAA Division II national title. VSU also won the Gulf South Conference crown as the Blazer secondary ranked eighth in the nation in passes intercepted and ninth in red zone defense. VSU led the nation in defensive touchdowns with seven. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State in 2018 as well.
Murphy originally signed to play football at Georgia Southern and was out of football until his return to the gridiron in 2014 where he was a three-year starter at Valdosta State (2014-2016) at cornerback. He finished his career with 62 total tackles, 13 passes defended, two interceptions, forced two fumbles and recovered another. He garnered 2014 USA Football All-American honors and was named to the All-Gulf South Conference team that same year.
Murphy is a native of St. Petersburg, Fla. and has a daughter, Amaya.