Photo by: Ariel Fox
Cole Murphy: Holder of the Year Campaign
Oct 30 | Football
As seen in the Oct. 26 football game program
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – As the country continues to celebrate 150 years of college football, fans are beginning to offer their opinions on who should win such prestigious awards as the Heisman, Maxwell and Butkus trophies.
Senior Cole Murphy of the Rutgers football team has is eyes on a different prize – Peter Mortell Holder of the Year. While the casual fan might look at the campaign with a wink and a nod, what once started out as a joke has not so quietly turned into a full-out effort to bring a national award to the Birthplace of College Football.
"I would love to see anybody come in and attempt to put the ball down in the time frame that holders have to in order to be successful," Murphy said. "You only have 1.3 seconds to execute, and if it's done too late, that can make the difference between a blocked kick and a successful one."
The award's namesake started gunning for the then fictitious accolade during the 2014 season on social media, when he served as the University of Minnesota's primary holder. Soon, his initiative gained traction across the country and resulted in Mortell creating the HOTY (pronounced ho-D) Foundation, which selects an annual winner as well as a charitable organization to donate to.
Murphy has embraced his role as the Scarlet Knights' primary holder over the past two seasons, as well as a crusade to win this year's HOTY trophy. Named to the award's preseason watch list, the Olathe, Kansas, native was interviewed by ESPN about the entertaining competition for the award and has used Instagram and Twitter to appeal to a national audience.
"The coaching staff and I kind of joked about [the award] at first and it really didn't resonate with me," Murphy said. "But [former Rutgers kicker] Andrew Harte kind of sat me down one year and thought I should really pursue it. So that's when I got with Justin [Davidovicz] and began to record videos and work on our celebrations."
The duo is a perfect 9-for-9 on extra point attempts and 5-of-8 on field goals entering the Liberty game. The total includes a 3-for-3 effort in field goal attempts against Boston College on Sept. 21, highlighted by a season-long 50 yarder the pair enjoyed with a custom celebration that went viral.
Murphy has enjoyed all of the recognition that has come with the tongue-and-cheek campaign, though he still treats his job with the seriousness any other position player has to. That involves working with Davidovicz and long snapper Billy Taylor to make sure the group's timing is as perfect as possible.
But Murphy did not arrive "On the Banks" with the intention of holding when he was recruited as a walk-on receiver prior to the 2017 season. A high school standout at Olathe North during his scholastic career, Murphy used a two-year stint at Coffeyville Community College to gain attention from Division I programs.
Rutgers offered him a walk-on spot, and Murphy moved from his familiar Midwest community to the fast-paced lifestyle of the Northeast. Though an ACL injury prevented Murphy from making an impact for the Scarlet Knights when he arrived, the leadership Murphy provided earned him a scholarship earlier this season.
With just five games to go in his collegiate career, Murphy understands there is not a lot of demand for professional holders. A finance major who will graduate in the spring, Murphy is already into the second a third round of interviews with sales companies. He sees himself working in either the metropolitan area or in markets in Tennessee and Texas.
"Right now I'm actually looking at a few different career paths," Murphy said. "I think a lot of people that get into sales are those who are able to climb through companies and get onto those executive boards, just because they're getting their boots on the ground from the beginning. Once you find out what a company does from the ground up, you kind of have a better idea of how to run it from the top down. Those are roles I'm really interested in."
Until then, there is an award at stake. The time Murphy has between a perfect snap and kick is just 1.3 seconds, and he will continue to make sure the timing is just right for the rest of the specialist. If he continues to execute, he might just have a trophy to add to his mantle.
"I think it would be awesome to win the award," Murphy said. "When I walked on here to play wide receiver, I expected to play that role, so obviously things did not go directly according to plan. But I've filled into a role that has an impact on the team."
You can follow Murphy and his quest for the 2019 HOTY trophy on Twitter (@Cole_Murphy_10) and Instagram (cole_murphy_10).
Senior Cole Murphy of the Rutgers football team has is eyes on a different prize – Peter Mortell Holder of the Year. While the casual fan might look at the campaign with a wink and a nod, what once started out as a joke has not so quietly turned into a full-out effort to bring a national award to the Birthplace of College Football.
"I would love to see anybody come in and attempt to put the ball down in the time frame that holders have to in order to be successful," Murphy said. "You only have 1.3 seconds to execute, and if it's done too late, that can make the difference between a blocked kick and a successful one."
The award's namesake started gunning for the then fictitious accolade during the 2014 season on social media, when he served as the University of Minnesota's primary holder. Soon, his initiative gained traction across the country and resulted in Mortell creating the HOTY (pronounced ho-D) Foundation, which selects an annual winner as well as a charitable organization to donate to.
Murphy has embraced his role as the Scarlet Knights' primary holder over the past two seasons, as well as a crusade to win this year's HOTY trophy. Named to the award's preseason watch list, the Olathe, Kansas, native was interviewed by ESPN about the entertaining competition for the award and has used Instagram and Twitter to appeal to a national audience.
"The coaching staff and I kind of joked about [the award] at first and it really didn't resonate with me," Murphy said. "But [former Rutgers kicker] Andrew Harte kind of sat me down one year and thought I should really pursue it. So that's when I got with Justin [Davidovicz] and began to record videos and work on our celebrations."
The duo is a perfect 9-for-9 on extra point attempts and 5-of-8 on field goals entering the Liberty game. The total includes a 3-for-3 effort in field goal attempts against Boston College on Sept. 21, highlighted by a season-long 50 yarder the pair enjoyed with a custom celebration that went viral.
Murphy has enjoyed all of the recognition that has come with the tongue-and-cheek campaign, though he still treats his job with the seriousness any other position player has to. That involves working with Davidovicz and long snapper Billy Taylor to make sure the group's timing is as perfect as possible.
But Murphy did not arrive "On the Banks" with the intention of holding when he was recruited as a walk-on receiver prior to the 2017 season. A high school standout at Olathe North during his scholastic career, Murphy used a two-year stint at Coffeyville Community College to gain attention from Division I programs.
Rutgers offered him a walk-on spot, and Murphy moved from his familiar Midwest community to the fast-paced lifestyle of the Northeast. Though an ACL injury prevented Murphy from making an impact for the Scarlet Knights when he arrived, the leadership Murphy provided earned him a scholarship earlier this season.
With just five games to go in his collegiate career, Murphy understands there is not a lot of demand for professional holders. A finance major who will graduate in the spring, Murphy is already into the second a third round of interviews with sales companies. He sees himself working in either the metropolitan area or in markets in Tennessee and Texas.
"Right now I'm actually looking at a few different career paths," Murphy said. "I think a lot of people that get into sales are those who are able to climb through companies and get onto those executive boards, just because they're getting their boots on the ground from the beginning. Once you find out what a company does from the ground up, you kind of have a better idea of how to run it from the top down. Those are roles I'm really interested in."
Until then, there is an award at stake. The time Murphy has between a perfect snap and kick is just 1.3 seconds, and he will continue to make sure the timing is just right for the rest of the specialist. If he continues to execute, he might just have a trophy to add to his mantle.
"I think it would be awesome to win the award," Murphy said. "When I walked on here to play wide receiver, I expected to play that role, so obviously things did not go directly according to plan. But I've filled into a role that has an impact on the team."
You can follow Murphy and his quest for the 2019 HOTY trophy on Twitter (@Cole_Murphy_10) and Instagram (cole_murphy_10).
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