It came as a surprise to many when Penn State announced Brett Murray would be joining the team midway through the season. But it turns out that was the plan all along.
Murray’s now-former head coach, Brad Patterson, told the Collegian during a phone interview that it was always assumed the 18-year-old would leave Youngstown (USHL) around this time to join the Nittany Lions, pending he finished school-related work.
“We knew more than likely it was going to happen,” Patterson said of the early commitment. “I give him all the credit in the world. It’s not an easy thing to do here, [knowing] you’re going to be moving on after a couple months, but he did a great job from day one right until his last day here, and I expect big things out of him when he gets there.