Murphy Clement Follows Brother to Illinois

A year after deciding to join his brother at WVU, Murphy Clement is now following Hudson Clement to Illinois. Like Hudson, Murphy Clement signed with Illinois on Thursday.

Murphy Clement, a Martinsburg High School product like his brother, joined WVU’s 2024 class as a PWO (preferred walk-on). The 2023-2024 Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year capped off his senior years of high school by throwing for 1,673 yards with 19 passing touchdowns while also running for 1,128 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns on the ground.

Welcome @murphy_clement2!

🟠 https://t.co/BZgAJayRZ6 pic.twitter.com/fuzrwLwugJ

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) January 2, 2025

He did not see any action at WVU in 2024 and has all four years of eligibility remaining.

Despite his success in high school, Clement failed to obtain any significant rankings by major recruiting outlets. Most of his offers were from smaller schools, including recently from in-state programs like Shepherd and Fairmont State.

”I want to thank all of the coaches who reached out to me with other opportunities, but I’ve decided to take my shot with WVU,” said Murphy Clement when revealing his commitment to West Virginia in February.

At the time of his commitment to WVU last year, WV Sports Now reached out to him about what led to wanting to walk on as a Mountaineer instead of taking a scholarship offer somewhere else and if Hudson’s journey impacted his choice.

“Partially yes, knowing he was a walk on too and seeing the success he has had, definitely made me feel like it’s possible to make an impact early as a PWO. But also, the family aspect of WVU really made it feel like home to me,” said Murphy Clement.

He’s expected to play safety at Illinois.