It’s an exciting time in the lives of the Murphy family.

On Friday night, Breyone and Willard Murphy saw their son — Powder Springs (Ga.) Hillgrove five-star defensive end Myles Murphy — announce his commitment to Clemson during halftime of Hillgrove’s spring game against Marietta. And in January, the proud parents will see their son enroll at the university that his heart was telling him to go.

Prior to Murphy’s commitment ceremony, The Clemson Insider spoke exclusively with the parents of the nation’s No. 1 defensive end about his decision to be a Tiger and much more.

“It’s exciting times right now, getting a chance to see him grow up from a little kid playing sports to where now he’s flourished into an elite athlete,” Murphy’s father, Willard, said of Myles. “He works hard, which is something I think a lot of people may not know about him. He really works hard at his craft and trying to get better at what he does, not only just as far as football but as far as academics, too. We push him there and try to make sure that he can also keep his grades up, because football’s not going to be forever.”

As Myles revealed his commitment Friday night, his mother, Breyone, couldn’t help but get emotional and cry happy tears while watching her son announce his decision to attend Clemson and major in engineering.

Breyone knows better than anyone what kind of player on the field – and person off it – that the Tigers are getting in Myles.

“They’re going to be getting a very mature kid,” she said. “He’s dedicated to what he does, and disciplined. He’s not one that likes to hang out and do a whole bunch of things, and he’s always been that way since he was a little runt. He kind of always stood off to the side and watched the kids play before he decided which one he was going to make his buddy to play with, and he’s still like that now.

“So, he’s going to be a good football player for them. He’s going to be that all-around person, because we’ve been stressing to him about making sure he does things that will help him further down the line when football is over. But he enjoys what he does now, and he has a lot of respect for these coaches. He has a lot of respect for the coaches that have extended offers to him. He’s enjoyed the process. But at this moment, he was just ready to make his commitment and get it done.”

Myles — the No. 1 defensive end and No. 2 overall prospect in the 2020 class according to ESPN — chose Clemson over Auburn as well as offers from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, Penn State, Virginia Tech and others.

So, what separated Clemson from the pack of other schools pursuing Myles?

Ultimately, his decision came down to picking the place he felt most comfortable.

“There’s a lot of things that he likes about Clemson,” Breyone said. “Our first visit there, he was just entering the 10th grade. I remember the day… He had a big game that Friday night. He had not had a haircut, and he was looking very disheveled and tired. But that was his first time just being on the campus to relax because he was there that summer for camp.

“So, he liked the facilities. I think he was also impressed with Dabo and the players, how the coaches got along with the players, the players seemed to be well-mannered. It’s just a good place. He’s been comfortable with it. There’s some other schools that he was comfortable. But Clemson is a good place.”

Dabo Swinney and the Tigers not only won over Myles, but also impressed his parents by the way they handled the recruiting process, including how they waited until Myles was a rising junior to extend an offer.

“They don’t make offers quick, which I think is a good thing,” Willard said. “That means they take time to study the player as well as the family some too and just want to make sure it’s going to be a good fit before they do extend an offer. And then once they get them there, they tend to keep them there for four years or for however long they’re going to be there, and just really coach them up.

“And the other thing that really impressed me is Dabo said he’s never brought in a junior college transfer. A lot of colleges do that, but he said he’s never brought in one and doesn’t plan to bring in any.”

Mom is a big fan of Dabo, too.

“He makes me laugh, that’s for sure,” she said with a smile.

“There’s some good things that he has said and that we could see is being done, that was impressive for him. And he seems to be a man of his word.”

Murphy gave the Tigers their fourth verbal commitment from a defensive lineman in the 2020 class, joining Hartsville (S.C.) four-star Demonte Capehart, Washington (D.C.) St. John’s four-star Tre Williams and Damascus (Md.) five-star Bryan Bresee.

Clemson’s 2020 class, which is currently comprised of 16 total commitments, ranks No. 1 nationally ahead of LSU and Alabama, respectively.