Five of Hillgrove’s six current NFL alumni players returned home this past weekend to run the Myles Murphy Skills Camp at the Powder Springs campus. Murphy is a 2023 First Round Draft Pick (28th overall) and defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals that starred for the Hawks as a five-star Class of 2020 prospect. He attended Clemson University and was an immediate contributor and played three seasons before becoming one of the top prospects in the 2023 draft.
Murphy’s rise from a Hillgrove Hawk to First Round Draft Pick makes him an inspiration to the young attendees of the Camp, but Murphy’s mission for this camp is to create a fun environment for the kids and he joined forces with Hillgrove’s other recent NFL products to create an unforgettable experience for the attendees.
“The mission of the camp is really just to have fun,” Murphy told the Marietta Daily Journal. “Show the kids some skills (at) every position because we got NFL guys at multiple positions. We’re just having the kids come out to have fun, show them a little bit of motivation because we’ve been in their shoes. (We’re) from here, played here.”
Two-time Pro Bowler and Broncos tight end Evan Engram (Class of 2013). Rams defensive back Jaylen McCullough (2019), Chiefs rookie receiver Jalen Royals (2021) and Titans tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo (2018) teamed up with Murphy. The only Hillgrove NFL alum that was unable to attend the camp this year was current Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb.
All six of these Hillgrove alumni have their own stories to inspire the next generation of Hawks and connecting with the young kids this summer will give them an opportunity to watch their heroes this season as they represent Hillgrove on football’s biggest stage. For Royals, he was a three-sport athlete at Hillgrove that attended Georgia Military College for his freshman year of college before transferring to Utah State. While playing for the Aggies, Royals saw action in 2022, but did not recorded any stats. Then his career took off exponentially in 2023 as he hauled in 68 catches in 12 games for 1,023 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns. Royals followed that up in 2024 with 55 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns and then was a fourth round draft pick this year.
When Hillgrove head coach Justin Deshon took over in 2021, it was a challenge getting alumni to come back to the campus. Now that the Hawks have added to their growing list of NFL players and they have had time to settle into their roles, DeShon is thrilled to see the involvement of the alumni.
“It’s a sign of strength,” Deshon told the MDJ. “We struggled with it for a few years and these guys have helped bring it back. This is turning into being our favorite day of the year. …We’ve got give guys here who can show you can get to your dreams if you just put in the work from Hillgrove High School. It’s important for little guys to see that because it’s the goal of every little kid when they start to play football.”
All of Hillgrove’s six NFL players played under former Hillgrove head coach Phillip Ironside—who was at the school when it opened in 2006 until the 2019 season. Despite this, hosting the event has created an opportunity for the players to connect with coach Deshon and the current Hillgrove staff.
“It makes us feel at home,” said Engram. “It makes us feel like we’ve known coach Deshon like we’ve played under him. I think that’s really respectable to allow us to come back and truly give back and make us feel at home. Just being back here, all the memories that come and also still being welcomed and being treated like we were playing under him, that means a lot to us and will mean a lot to guys that continue to come back.”
HILLGROVE’S HOME-GROWN EXCITEMENT
Having the alumni come back to connect with the youth is a healthy sign for the Hillgrove program and so is the 11-2 season that the program is coming off of heading into this year. The Hawks snapped a four-year streak of losing seasons last year and bounced back from a 2-8 campaign in 2023 with a quarterfinal appearance and one of the best seasons in school history. This year, Hillgrove will be a strong favorite in Region 3-6A after a runner-up finish last year to region champion Harrison. Despite taking the No. 2 seed into the playoffs and losing out on the region title to the Hoyas, Hillgrove responded brilliantly and was the only team out of Region 3 last year that made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Not only did the Hawks escape the first round, the team was able to defeat South Gwinnett (35-14) and Peachtree Ridge (30-14) before falling to state-runner-up Carrollton in the quarterfinals.
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