Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino has now managed to reel in two recruits who previously committed to other programs, as 6-foot-7 small forward Jordan Murphy announced Friday night that he’ll be a Golden Gopher. Murphy previously signed with VCU, but was granted a release from his National Letter of Intent after former head coach Shaka Smart left for Texas.
The San Antonio native becomes the sixth freshman in Minnesota’s 2015 recruiting class, joining guards Kevin Dorsey, Jarvis Johnson and Dupree McBrayer, forward Ahmad Gilbert and center Jonathan Nwankwo. The Golden Gophers also added former Illinois State forward Reggie Lynch, who will have two seasons of eligibility after sitting out the 2015-16 season.
Murphy joins Gilbert as members of the class who picked Minnesota after originally signing with other schools. Gilbert signed with George Mason but received his release in the aftermath of the school firing Paul Hewitt.
As a senior at William J. Brennan HS, Murphy averaged 23.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Both he and Gilbert play a position where Minnesota was in need of additions, which will allow for them to compete for playing time as freshmen.