Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh recruiting player he once babysat

Video: Connor Murphy high school football highlights
See the 6-foot-7 Brophy College Prep standout in action.

Football coaches wear many hats. They are father figures. Disciplinarians. Academic advisers. And — you hear it said — even babysitters.

In the case of Brophy College Prep (Phoenix) defensive end Connor Murphy, he was literally babysat by current Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh eight years ago.

And now Harbaugh is recruiting Murphy, a 6-foot-7, 255-pound four-star standout according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.



In this terrific tale told by Sports360arizona.com, Harbaugh was Stanford's head coach when he arrived at the Murphy home to recruit older brother Trent.

When Connor's mom suddenly went into labor, his dad Jerry had to choose to either continue entertaining Harbaugh and then-assistant D.J. Durkin, or take his wife to the hospital.

Connor, who was 8 at the time, is one of seven kids.

"The wife is going to win that," Jerry said.

The Murphy family thought this was going to be a short visit to the hospital — they'd been through this before — but instead it turned into five hours.

"(Harbaugh) took the role that 'I'm making the best of it,'" Jerry said. "'The Murphys aren't here. I'm here. I'm going to stay here until they get here.' And that's what he did."



Harbaugh's word and good nature helped land Trent Murphy, who was a consensus All-American linebacker for the Cardinal before being drafted in the NFL's second round by the Redskins in 2014. He had 32 tackles last season for Washington.

Connor Murphy hasn't committed to Michigan, but Harbaugh's visit left a lasting impression.

"Not many people can say they sat down on the living room floor with Jim Harbaugh and D.J. Durkin and played chess and drank milk with them," Connor Murphy said. "I didn't have any idea who he was or how big he was. I didn't know his background or story or who he was back then. That's why he's been sort of a father figure to me today because of that."

According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball, Connor Murphy has a 50 percent chance of going to Michigan and a 25 percent chance to attend either Arizona State or Oregon.