Report: Maalik Murphy has verbally committed to Duke

Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy is expected to transfer to Duke, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Thamel provided further details on the developing situation.

“Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy has verbally committed to Duke,” Thamel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “A formal announcement is expected soon. He’ll be immediately eligible with three years remaining, giving first-year coach Manny Diaz a key building block to start his tenure.”

Murphy was the backup quarterback behind Quinn Ewers this season. 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.

Murphy drew immense praise from Steve Sarkisian for sticking with the Longhorns and making the most of his opportunities, especially after Arch Manning arrived on campus and rumors of tampering swirled after Murphy’s strong Orange-White Game performance in April.

“He stayed because he wanted to be part of this team, and he wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to compete,” Sarkisian said after Texas’ win over BYU. “That’s what makes him special. I think that’s why our team really loves him so much. He loves his teammates. He’s a great teammate.”

Murphy played high school football at Junipero Serra (CA), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 205 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Manny Diaz finds his cornerstone

Now, Murphy will use his talents to build the foundation of Duke head coach Manny Diaz’s budding program. Duke named Diaz the program’s next head coach on Dec. 7. He is the successor to Mike Elko, who became Texas A&M’s next head coach.

Diaz spent the last two seasons at Penn State, serving as the program’s defensive coordinator. Under Diaz, Penn State boasted the best defense in the nation this season, allowing just 223.3 yards per game.

Murphy will fill a hole left by former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard who transferred to Notre Dame following Elko’s departure. Murphy is the second player to transfer to Duke in this window. He was listed as the No. 41 player in the transfer portal and the No. 12 QB.

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