Football standout Malik McMurtrey commits to Northeastern State
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Since coming on the scene his junior year, McMurtrey has blossomed into a player that any coach would want on their team.
The speedster was named the top running back in the 5A district, racking up 832 rushing yards on 120 carries. McMurtrey averaged 6.9 yards per carry with 92.4 rushing yards per game. On the year, he ended up with a total of nine rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns.
The all-around back can literally do it all on the field. He can catch behind the backfield as well as run between the tackles. The phenom stands at 5-foot-8 and weighs in at 185 pounds.
From his junior year to his senior year, McMurtrey put a lot of work in during the offseason. He got bigger, faster and mentally prepared for his senior season. These are elements coach Brad Gilbert wanted to see in his back for the upcoming season.
“He’s gotten bigger,” Gilbert said. “He’s up to about 185 pounds. Last year he was at 165. He’s made progress and gains in the weight room with his overall strength, and it’s going to help him with his durability. He and I talked. He was a physical football player on the perimeter. Where we needed to see growth and where we will need to continue to see growth is the physicality of his play inside the tackles.”
As a junior, McMurtrey had an astonishing season, rushing for 793 yards in nine games on 113 carries, which was a team high in his first year as starter. He also racked up 13 touchdowns with 12 of those being rushing.
McMurtrey had some big shoes to fill with replacing their team’s previous all-time leading rusher in Dae Dae Leathers. By the end of the season, people started to recognize that McMurtrey is a future star in the making and can lead his team to the promised land.
McMurtrey made some very big leaps coming into his senior season and the offseason had a very big part in that. Gilbert wanted to see some little changes that could make McMurtrey’s game a lot better for the team.
“He needs to take better care of the football,” Gilbert said. “If he can get better between the tackles and limit the turnovers, I think he’s going to have a really big season for us. Malik is a guy we will lean on and count on, and he’s going to be able to have games where he’s getting big chunks of yards. We need those big plays from him.”
McMurtrey ended up having a better senior season than his junior year, which says a lot about him as a player. An athlete must be able to take constructive criticism because it can help a player go from being a good player to a great player. The little details can make a bigger impact on the game and McMurtrey showed that this season.
With McMurtrey believing in his coach’s system, he had a legendary night against Glenpool with four total touchdowns. He ended up with 116 rushing yards on 18 carries and 52 receiving yards on two catches. One of those catches he took to the house for 39 yards.
Tahlequah rolled past Glenpool 47-13 with the offense clicking on all cylinders. McMurtrey was electrifying and had one of his best games as a high school player. He showed Glenpool how much of a threat he is with his track speed, his 185-pound frame and his receiver abilities as a running back. These are all elements to his game he’s worked on to get to where he is now.
At the high school level, McMurtrey has shown that the game comes very easy to him. This is one reason why he will be playing at the NCAA level in the fall of 2022.
McMurtrey committed to Northeastern State University on Dec. 1, 2021. He will get to show off his talents on Saturdays and it will be worth watching because he is definitely fun to watch with his electrifying style of play.
Perseverance, dedication and a winning attitude are some of the traits McMurtrey has and those character traits will lead him to higher heights on and off the field.
Congratulations to McMurtrey on his commitment to Northeastern State University.
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