64 Days Until WCU Football Kickoff - Larry Murphy

It's now 64 days until the kickoff of Catamount Football on Thursday, August 29, 2024, against the NC State Wolfpack in Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC 

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful a little more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day.

No one is currently assigned to #64, so today we will highlight an assistant coach:

Larry Murphy

TITLE Assistant Coach / Cornerbacks / Assistant Special Teams



Larry Murphy joined the Catamount football defensive coaching staff in the spring of 2021 where he will coach the cornerbacks. Murphy came to Cullowhee after two years at Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tenn., where he held a similar role. In February 2024, Murphy was additionally named Assistant Special Teams Coordinator.

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.

Originally from St. Petersburg, Fla., 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.

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 2018 graduate of Valdosta State.