Jacob Murrell more than just nation’s best boys soccer player
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (BVM) — Jacob Murrell had a dominant senior season at McDonogh High School just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. He finished with 41 goals and 20 assists while helping his team finish runner-up for the state championship.
Murrell didn’t realize just how many people would take notice, but his accomplishments on and off the field led to him being named the 2021-22 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
When the Georgetown recruit looked at the list of past winners, a few names jumped out at him, including Jack Harrison who plays for Leeds United in the Premier League.
“He’s a guy I watch all the time with Leeds and a guy I can look up to a little bit because he took a similar route that I’m taking,” Murrell said. “Going to the college game and then trying to go professional… You see a lot of guys go pro at a young age, so that’s a guy I can look up to and think I have to do the work, but it’s a real possibility to do the college route and then go pro.”
Being the Gatorade Player of the Year is an amazing accomplishment. However, it takes more than pure athletic prowess. Gatorade evaluates student-athletes are evaluated on three criteria: athletic excellence, academic achievement, and exemplary character.
Murrell’s character is evident through the time he’s spent with the Char Hope Foundation, a non-profit foundation in northern Maryland. Its focus is on helping adults, especially women, in the agricultural community who struggle with substance abuse through their farm program.
“So there were a few storms that had come through, and the fences of the pasture were broken down so the horses weren’t able to run in the pasture,” Murrell said. “So the real thing for me was just doing the best I could to rebuild for them because animal therapy is the main premise for the house and the foundation. So, cleaning up, and the stalls were pretty run down too… So working within the stalls to clean them up and make them nice for the animals.
“But then as well making the pasture nicer and redoing the pasture fences and then also weeding because the weeds had grown up really high next to the fences so that the women could go in and actually work with the animals again.”
While attackers in soccer are some of the most recognized and important players on the field, Murrell had no problem playing a role with the Char Hope Foundation that might be more well-suited to a defensive midfielder, running around and cleaning up messes to make everything work better around him.
“It’s tough, it’s difficult, and it’s work that needs to be done to help out and make things go,” Murrell said. “Throughout my time, I try to find something community service-wise that was important to me. This is something that was really close to my dad and that guy that he worked with. It was really close to me because I grew up on the farm working with my dad…
“Substance abuse is a real thing and a difficult thing to get over, and animal therapy is a legit way to get over what’s holding you back. And for these women, to actually interact with the women was the most touching part about it. To see the look on their faces when the fence was rebuilt and the stalls were cleaned out, and they could go walk through the barn without worrying about stepping on poop… Interacting with them made it all the more worthwhile.”
In between scoring goals and cleaning pastures, Murrell also found time to give back to younger players.
“It means the world to me to give back to the youth,” Murrell said. “Because these kids, the U.S. game is evolving a ton, and the only issue is really poor coaching and poor system… So everything I learned at a young age, I’m trying to reimplement into the youth game because I see how bright the future is. I see how excited these kids are to go out and play, and there’s no better feeling than seeing these kids learn and grow and how excited they get for the game.”
Murrell is as grounded as they come which will help him as he continues his soccer career at Georgetown in pursuit of playing professionally.
“We’re all going to push each other to win a national championship,” Murrell said. “That’s the main goal… Obviously, we all have the goal in mind to try and go pro, but at the same time, we are all working together. We’re all trying to win the national championship.”
