INDIANAPOLIS — Caleb Murphy has been overlooked throughout his football career.
When he was a senior at Dowagiac Union High School, he only received scholarship offers from Division 2 programs. His graduating class only had 72 students, so he understands why some schools might have passed on him.
Murphy did receive preferred walk-on opportunities at a few Division 1 programs, but he did not want his mom to pay for school.
He decided to go to Grand Valley State before eventually landing at Ferris State, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to two national championships.
Now, Murphy is like several of those players who got Division 1 scholarships instead of him. He is participating in the 2023 NFL Combine.
The former Ferris State Bulldog has already spoken with 20 NFL teams about selecting him in the upcoming draft.
"I wanted to be here," Murphy said. "This was the goal."
It's a goal not many Bulldogs have accomplished. Murphy is just the third former Ferris State football player to ever be invited to the NFL Combine.
"It’s pretty cool," Murphy said. "Just being able to showcase some talent from Ferris State, Dowagiac Michigan. Just to put on for the guys, it’s really cool."
It is more than cool for Murphy. He has had this dream in the back of his mind ever since he could remember.
"Speaking dreams into reality," Murphy said. "I’ve been doing it since I was seven. I took a different path than everybody else, but it was really exciting."
The Division 2 route is definitely the road less traveled especially in Indianapolis. Murphy is one of just three Division 2 players to be invited to the 2023 combine.
Murphy says football is football regardless of the level.
"You can say Division 2, Division 2, whatever," Murphy said. "We all play football. We all have schemes. They just wanted to see if I could compete with them. So just doing that. [I've] been doing that. [I will] continue to do it."
Murphy definitely showed he had what it takes during his senior season. He didn't just break the NCAA record at all levels, he shattered it with 25.5 sacks during the 2022 season.
"It's a blessing," Murphy said. "Hopefully it sticks there for awhile."
Murphy plans to get after the quarterback at the next level as well.
"I just want to continue to be great at what I do and continue to work hard," Murphy said.
Despite how hard he works, Murphy knows teams might go with someone who went to a bigger school in the 2023 NFL Draft. And he’s just fine with that.
"I live an underdog story," Murphy said. "Just continue to live it. Continue to love it. It will make the best of me."
Murphy will participate in the NFL Combine events on Thursday. His workouts will get started at 3 p.m. on the NFL Network.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
