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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy has won the Blue Devils‘ starting job and will start the opener against Elon, first-year coach Manny Diaz announced Monday.
Murphy is a Texas transfer who won both his starts last year for the Longhorns (against BYU and Kansas State). He threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Murphy beat out sophomore Grayson Loftis, who started five games for the Blue Devils in 2023 in place of injured quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred to Notre Dame after the season.
“Maalik has earned the opportunity to be our starting quarterback with his preparation, work ethic and productivity,” Diaz said in announcing the decision. “I’m really excited for him because of his investment into this team and this program.”
Murphy, 6-foot-5 and 238 pounds, joined Texas as an ESPN 300 recruit in the class of 2022. He’s a redshirt sophomore who has appeared in seven games in his career.
Murphy transferred to Duke after entering the portal in mid-December. He made the gut-wrenching decision to leave the Longhorns prior to their College Football Playoff run — “I hate it, I hate it,” he said at the time — in order to find a school where he could secure a starting job.
“I just want to be in a position where I can play,” Murphy said in December. “I don’t want to be waiting around and see what happens or anything like that. I’d rather kick-start my career while I can.”
Murphy’s recruitment to Duke was a coup for Diaz, who came from Penn State and immediately signed a quarterback with significant talent and pedigree.
Murphy chose Duke over a list of suitors that included Oregon State, South Carolina and Baylor.