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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy has committed to transfer to Duke, sources told ESPN.
Murphy’s commitment is expected to formally emerge in the next 24 hours, sources said. Murphy’s pledge will give Duke and first-year coach Manny Diaz a linchpin building block, as Murphy emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the NCAA transfer portal this off-season.
Murphy is a 6-foot-5, 238-pound redshirt freshman who brings high-end arm talent to the position. He’ll be immediately eligible and has three seasons remaining.
Murphy, ESPN’s No. 250 overall player in the Class of 2022, is the highest ranked quarterback and sixth highest-ranked overall player that Duke football has got a commitment from since ESPN began ranking players in 2006, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Murphy won both of the games he started for Texas this season as a redshirt freshman, beating both BYU and Kansas State. Murphy threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns on the season, as he served as Texas’s primary back-up behind Quinn Ewers and ahead of freshman Arch Manning.
In speaking to ESPN the night he entered the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 13, Murphy said that he prioritized opportunity at his next destination.
“A place where I can play,” he told ESPN last week when asked what he’s looking for in a school. “Continue to get better and continue to be around great people and great players. And just do what’s best for me and my career.”
Duke’s starting job opened up when star quarterback Riley Leonard decided to commit to Notre Dame. Leonard entered the NCAA transfer portal soon after coach Mike Elko took the Texas A&M job.
If Murphy returned to Texas, he’d have likely continued to back up Ewers, who has yet to declare he’s returning to Texas in 2024 but that remains the prevailing thought in his circle. Murphy’s decision to transfer meant he won’t be with Texas for the College Football Playoff, as he prioritized the opportunity to find a school and secure his future.
“I just want to be in a position where I can play,” Murphy told ESPN last week. “Where I can get a chance to play. I don’t want to be waiting around and see what happens or anything like that. I’d rather kickstart my career while I can.”
That will happen at Duke, as Murphy is expected to enroll in January and immediately compete for the starting job. And his arrival will coincide with the arrival of Diaz, the decorated former defensive coordinator Penn State who previously served as the head coach at Miami.
Sources told ESPN that Murphy spent a lot of time discussing what Duke’s offense would look like with new offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer, the former SMU quarterback coach. He’s expected to install a similar offense that SMU ran under Rhett Lashlee. While Diaz was at Miami as both the defensive coordinator and head coach, Lashlee worked as the offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021.
Murphy was ESPN’s No. 12 pocket passer in the class of 2022. He visited both South Carolina and Oregon State after entering the NCAA transfer portal.