Maalik Murphy excited to watch Texas from afar: 'Definitely my boys'

CHARLOTTE — Maalik Murphy is no longer playing for Texas, but he remains invested in the Longhorns team. The current Duke quarterback attended the ACC Kickoff Event on Wednesday and was asked if he will be following Texas games this year.

Murphy said that he will definitely be tuned in as the Longhorns attempt to get back to the College Football Playoff.

“Definitely, definitely, definitely. I can’t wait,” Maalik Murphy said. “We have a lot of Friday games this year, so hopefully they don’t play on Fridays like we do and I’m able to watch them and follow them on Saturdays. So definitely my boys. There’s a couple of guys on the team I talk to every single day still. So I’m excited for them.”

Maalik Murphy spent two seasons at Texas, appearing in seven games, with two starts, during that time.

Last year he was in a quarterback room that included former five-star recruits Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. Murphy shared what it was like competing alongside those two and revealed that he remains close with them.

“It was great. It was great. Those are my guys ‘til this day,” Murphy said. “I just talked to Quinn last week. I talked to Arch the week before that. We stay in touch and I love those guys. At the end of the day I want to see them succeed. I want to see them win. And hopefully we get to meet up at the end of it all.”

Murphy helped Texas win the Big 12 and reach the College Football Playoff in 2023, starting in victories over Kansas State and BYU.

He expects the Longhorns to compete for the SEC title this year and to return to the College Football Playoff.

“I mean, if they do anything less than what we did last year I will be surprised,” Murphy said. “I feel like they’re on the right path. Coach Sark is doing a lot of good things… and I’m really excited to see what they can do this year.”

As for Maalik Murphy, he is battling for the starting quarterback job at Duke. Murphy and returner Grayson Loftis both attended the ACC Kickoff event on Wednesday.

It will be interesting to see who ultimately lands the job and how competitive the Blue Devils can be in Year 1 under Manny Diaz.

Duke was one of the surprise teams in all of college football in 2023, going 8-5 with a win over Troy in the Birmingham Bowl.