On October 21, 2023, quarterback Maalik Murphy fiddles with his helmet before taking the field for pregame warm-ups versus Houston.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Maalik Murphy has transferred to Duke after playing for the Forty Acres for two seasons.
As a four-star recruit and the ninth-best quarterback in the country, Murphy first committed to the Longhorns in December 2021, according to 247Sports. Murphy joined transfer Quinn Ewers in the Austin quarterback room as the first quarterback commitment of the Sarkisian era.
Murphy was instrumental in Texas’ current College Football Playoff campaign even though he did not play in the 2022 season. Murphy participated in four exhibition games before making an impact in the Longhorns’ victory over Houston as a replacement for the injured Ewers. In lieu of the injured Ewers, Murphy started the following two games, winning 35-6 against BYU and 33-30 in overtime to narrowly avert an upset against Kansas State. At Texas, Murphy finished with 477 throwing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Given the abundance of skill in the Texas quarterback room right now, Murphy’s decision is not shocking. In 2022, five-star rookie Arch Manning awaited him, although Murphy was not expected to be a long-term starter given the likelihood of Ewers’ comeback and the arrival of four-star Trey Owens in 2024. The quarterback decided on Duke, an ACC team led by head coach Mike Elko, who was just appointed to take over as Texas A&M’s coach. Duke has won two straight seasons.
Murphy will probably start at quarterback for Manny Diaz, the new head coach of Duke. Diaz was Penn State’s defensive coordinator the previous campaign. In 2023, Penn State boasted the third-best scoring defense, and Diaz has experience coaching in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), having taken the helm at Miami from 2019 to 21 and going 21–15 during that time.
