Green Wave football to celebrate on Signing Day

When Bill Murray first played football as a freshman at Delbarton, he was just a gangly kid trying to make an impression on his coaches.

By the time he was a sophomore, he managed to open some of the Green Wave coaches' eyes.

As a senior, he wowed some more coaches … college coaches.

Murray transformed himself into a college football player and planned to sign a National Letter of Intent with William & Mary on Wednesday. Delbarton lineman Andrew Otterman was expected to sign with Northwestern. where he'd made a verbal commitment in the summer.

But Murray wasn't always a great fit for football at all.

"I was very bad compared to everyone else," he said. "I didn't play at all and was the slowest kid on the team even though I wasn't the heaviest. I debated whether or not I wanted to play football. I had a shoulder injury and my mother told me to not go out on those terms. So I went back out and it was the best thing I ever did. ... I worked out with Coach (Mike) Beach and I got stronger and faster. I started loving football."

Delbarton amassed 3,500 yards of total offense, and when times were tough, the Green Wave ran behind Otterman, who was the best offensive lineman in the entire NJAC. Murray's work as a nose tackle and offensive tackle were two more key reasons the Green Wave reached the NJSIAA Non-Public Group III championship game in December, before losing to Red Bank Catholic.

"He really came on this year," Delbarton head coach Brian Bowers said of Murray. "He's really developed since freshman year. He's a late bloomer. His freshman year, he wasn't sure if he loved football. But in his sophomore year, he bought into everything. He's become quite a player."

As a sophomore, Murray (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) played on the scout team during practice. Bowers and the coaches noticed, "Murray is all over the place" when they reviewed film.

Murray started as a junior before overwhelming the rugged NJAC-National as a senior. He had 24 tackles (12 for losses) and four sacks. Delbarton went undefeated in the National for the fourth straight year and has won 28 straight games during that stretch.

"He was devastating for centers to handle," said Bowers, who believes Murray will likely play defensive end at William & Mary.

"He'll only get better. He's got great explosion and he actually looks thin at 6-4, 250. He'll fill out and he has very high upside. The coaches at William & Mary are very high on him. He was a captain for us and he'll do anything for the team. That's the kind of person he is."

• Dean Grogg, Morristown-Beard: The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Grogg hadn't even made his official visit to the University at Albany before choosing the Colonial Athletic Conference school in the fall. That's how much he loves the Albany coaching staff.

Grogg attended the game against Columbia on Sept. 27, and made a verbal commitment before Albany played James Madison on Oct. 4. He was also recruited by Sacred Heart, Penn State (as a preferred walk on), Fordham and Monmouth.

"The coaches were great to me. They made me feel like family, said Grogg, who had 67 tackles (31 solo), 151/ 2 sacks, three forced fumbles and three pass deflections from his defensive end spot. "They have only been there for one year but the program has made a big turnaround."

"Albany is very excited about Dean, and I think he will do very well up there," Crimson coach Tim Fell said. "He was an absolute monster for us. I am so proud of how Dean has matured as a young man over the past three years. He has been great to work with and I will miss him and his family very much."

• Ian Campbell, Pequannock: The 6-foot-7, 225-pound tight end made a verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut early last summer. He caught 22 balls for 291 yards and three touchdowns for the run-oriented Golden Panthers. As a junior, he caught 33 passes for 375 yards.

• Brian Olshanski, Mountain Lakes: The Herd went undefeated and won their second straight NJSIAA North 2 Group II championship and the ferocious 6-1, 225-pound linebacker led the way. Lehigh liked Olshanski enough to offer him a rare full football scholarship, according to Mountain Lakes coach Darrell Fusco. The three-year starter had 44 tackles, 15 assists and four sacks as a senior.