Middle Tennessee continues to build momentum on the recruiting trail, landing edge rusher Darnell Malpress. His verbal commitment comes after he recently visited Murfreesboro to see what the MTSU football program has to offer.

GoMiddle covers his commitment to the Blue Raiders.

Darnell Malpress and his family visited Middle Tennessee on July 25th. After the visit, he and his younger brother Desmond, an edge rusher in the 2027 class, received offers from head coach Derek Mason.

After leaving Murfreesboro, Darnell visited Western Kentucky but eventually decided that Middle Tennessee was the place for him and committed to the Blue Raiders.

“The visit went great. There are still lots of facilities that are still being built and I enjoy the fact that they are expanding as a football program. What stood out most to me was how some of the students interacted they were nice and friendly,” he told GoMiddle.

While on the visit, he felt a welcoming atmosphere all around and that was something that stood out to him during his time in Murfreesboro. That extending to the veteran coaches he was able to converse with, including defensive line coach Vernon Hargreaves.

“The amazing hospitality they showed me and my teammates when we got there, and the amount of coaching experience the coaches have. I believe Coach Vernon can help me grow as a player and person and deepen my technique,” said the new commit.

As Malpress connected with the veteran coach, he knew that was who he wanted to play for. When he told Hargreaves the news, there was an excitement from the coach.

“Coach Vernon talked to me like I was one of his players and I really loved that. The relationship is great; I called him telling him about the commitment and he was excited for me to be joining the team and is ready to see what I do this season.”

As a player, Malpress stands at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, adding a lengthy option at defensive end to get into the backfield. That length, combined with his athleticism, allows him to effectively generate pressure for Atlantic Coast (FL) from a stand-up defensive end position.

Under this new coaching staff at Middle Tennessee, they have made it a point to bring in different kinds of players up front on the defensive side of the ball, including athletic pass rushers with length, and Darnell Malpress will fit right into that defensive philosophy.