Pete Thamel explains the impact of Maalik Murphy's transfer to Duke

Duke made a cannon-ball-like splash in the Transfer Portal recently, reeling in former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy, a blue chip recruit who started games in Quinn Ewers’ absence this season.

With Ewers holding off his NFL Draft decision until after Texas’ season concludes, plus the most popular third-string QB in America, Arch Manning, waiting in the wings, Murphy saw a long shot at playing time next season or any year beyond 2023 and hopped in the portal. Now, he’s found a new home at Duke, where he’ll replace starter Riley Leonard, who also transferred and landed at Notre Dame.

After reporting on the move in the days prior, ESPN’s Pete Thamel showed up at halftime on the broadcast of Duke’s bowl game vs. Troy to break down what a win the Murphy commitment is for the new Blue Devil staff.

“Well, it’s a huge decision for the future of Duke Football, because Maalik Murphy gives them a lynchpin player for Manny Diaz to build around,” stated Thamel.

“What a building block he is. Six-foot-five, 240 pounds, a big arm with a ton of arm talent, and Murphy has three full years of eligibility remaining. That means, when you think of Duke Football the next three years, there’s a really good chance that Maalik Murphy is going to be the heartbeat of that team.”

He’s a heck of a physical specimen under center, has already showed some promise, and has long future ahead of him. It’s a great recruiting win on the field. But Thamel is just as interested in what the commitment said about Duke’s recruiting firepower off the field.

“For Manny Diaz, it not only an early victory and some identity, but it also shows that Duke has the willingness to spend in Name, Image and Likeness. South Carolina was involved in his recruitment, Baylor was involved in his recruitment, Oregon State. So a significant win for Duke. He’s the highest-rated quarterback to commit to Duke since ESPN began recruiting rankings in 2006.”

 When Ewers suffered an injury in October against Houston, Murphy stepped in for the remainder of that game and the two following contests against BYU and Kansas State. The team went undefeated during the three-game stretch.

For the season, Murphy was 40-for-71 with 477 yards and three touchdowns over three interceptions. During the Longhorns’ win over Texas Tech, Murphy sustained an injury when he was hit by two Texas players blocking a member of the Red Raider kickoff team. He recovered in time to play limited minutes in the Big 12 Championship.