For the first week of his life, Reymello Murphy didn’t have a first name.
After he was born, his father, Reymon Murphy, who has been living in Tucson for several years, “didn’t want me to be a junior but he wanted the ‘Rey’ to be there.
“They get ‘mello’ based off how I was acting,” Murphy said. “I didn’t have a name for the first week of my life and they used to call me Man-Man.”
He isn’t nicknamed Man-Man anymore, but he goes by ‘Mello’ or ‘Rey.’ You can also call him Wildcat, after the 6-foot, 185-pounder committed to Arizona following one season at Old Dominion. Murphy, a Bay Area native, committed to the Wildcats just after slot receiver Kevin Green Jr. transferred away from the program. Murphy is the first wide receiver Arizona has landed since the hiring of head coach Brent Brennan.
In 13 games last season, Murphy led ODU in receiving yards (502) and ranked 27th in college football in yards per catch (17.9) in his only season with the Monarchs.
Former Old Dominion wide receiver Reymello Murphy is one of several additions the Arizona Wildcats made through the transfer portal this spring.
Before Murphy’s lone season at Old Dominion, the Fremont, California, native had 17 catches for 297 yards and three touchdowns at San Mateo (California) Community College in 2022.
Murphy enters a receiver rotation that returns starters Tetairoa McMillan and Montana Lemonious-Craig. Besides McMillan and Lemonious-Craig, sophomore Malachi Riley, third-year receivers AJ Jones and Chris Hunter, redshirt freshmen Devin Hyatt and Jackson Holman, early enrollee Brandon Phelps and walk-on Rex Haynes, son of former Arizona State Sun Devil and NFL defensive back Mike Haynes, have all stood out this spring.
“They’re all weapons that can be utilized at any point in a game,” Murphy said. “I feel that this year coming up, we can be a strong receiving group and it’s going to carry us a long way.”
Murphy is familiar with two of the most popular names in Arizona’s offense, McMillan and quarterback Noah Fifita, who trained with Murphy at Winner Circle Athletics and Wellness Center in Southern California during high school, in addition to crossing paths on the 7-on-7 circuit.
“There, that’s where I really bonded with Noah and T. Any time I was up there, I was talking to them in line. I was talking to T in receiver lines while running routes, while Noah was throwing to me,” Murphy said. “After that, our friendship just grew more and more. ... T is a great receiver. You can see what he’s done in the last couple years and even in high school. So he draws a lot of attention from the defense. To have that on the other side of you on the field opens things up a little bit. On top of that, we have so many other weapons in the receiver room as well.”
Old Dominion’s Reymello Murphy, left, catches the ball in front of Liberty’s Dexter Ricks Jr. during the second half a Nov. 11, 2023, matchup in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Playing for the Wildcats was something Murphy longed for.
“Coming out of high school, I wanted to go to Arizona because I’m super-close with Noah, T-Mac, (linebacker) Jacob Manu, (tight end) Keyan Burnett — all of them from ‘Juice County.’ I already wanted to play with them,” Murphy said. “Going into the portal, I was like, ‘Let’s see what’s the best fit in terms of offensive play, quarterback, who’s all there, and with the coaching staff, I wanted them to feel comfortable with me coming in there, and obviously with (wide receivers coach Bobby Wade), (offensive coordinator Dino Babers), Coach Brennan, they made it a super-easy choice.
“On top of them understanding me as a person and player, they made me feel super-comfortable and let me know what they wanted me to come in and do — and they were transparent. It’s like a family at Arizona with the coaching staff, and I’m playing with my best friends. It was an easy choice.”
Murphy joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” recently to talk about joining the Wildcats, Fifita as a quarterback and Brennan’s culture. Here’s what he said:
From your perspective, what makes Fifita the quarterback you want to play with?
A: “He’s a great ball player. Everyone underestimates him for his size, but he will never shy away from anything no matter how big it is. That’s a testament to his determination. On top of that, his leadership is something that sticks out. Ever since I met Noah, on and off the field, he cares for the people he’s around. ... When he’s in that huddle, he cares for every single person in that huddle and wants them to succeed. He wants it done a certain way, but he cares for everybody else and wants to be on the same page. Those are two things that Noah has.”
Considering Wade is one of the top receivers in program history, along with Brennan having an impressive list of receivers he mentored at previous stops, do you feel more comfortable about the decision knowing you’re getting high-level coaching at your position?
A: “It’s crazy. Going back to the recruiting process, when I was in junior college, I would always talk to Coach Brennan because he would come to College of San Mateo. ... It’s one thing to know you’re getting a good coach, but it’s also a family. Having those guys around, especially with Coach Bobby having NFL experience, it couldn’t get any better.”
What kind of culture is Brennan instilling at Arizona?
A: “A hard-working collective group. It’s a family-tied type of group. When you have the family mindset, it transitions to on the field because you have to remember that there’s 11 people on the field. Every person has a job to do and if someone fails to do their job or messes up, it shuts down everything else. When you have a family member or someone close next to you, you don’t want to let them down. It becomes a well-oiled machine from offense, defense, special teams and the whole staff. That’s one thing Coach Brennan is instilling in the program.”
What do you like to do outside of football?
A: “I cut hair, I love cooking, I love spending time with my family, I love hiking and looking at views. I was a heavy baseball player. I do a lot in my spare time. ... Going into my freshman and sophomore year, I always played shortstop. ... My coach moved me to center field. Being a receiver, it was a very, very, very easy transition. ... I haven’t paid for a haircut since my freshman year of high school. The first couple years, my hair was messed up because I was trying to figure it out. But once I got to my junior and senior year, I looked halfway decent.”
