Maalik Murphy on going from Texas QB competition to Duke's: 'College football is a roller coaster'

Maalik Murphy was in multiple quarterback competitions during his time at Texas. He is now in one with returning starter Grayson Loftis at Duke as he battles for the Blue Devils starting QB job.

Murphy spoke at the ACC Football Kickoff Event about the QB competitions at Texas and how they prepared him for what he’s dealing with now.

“Let football be football and don’t let that get in the way of your relationship with each other,” Maalik Murphy said. “Of course that’s hard to do, because we’re all here to play football. Of course it’s hard to do that when there’s only one quarterback on the field at a time. But all you can do is want the best for the other person.”

Murphy appeared in seven games during his two years at Texas, making a pair of starts. He completed 40 of 71 passes for 477 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

As for Grayson Loftis, he appeared in eight games at Duke last season, making five starts after Riley Leonard was injured. Loftis threw for 1,006 yards with eight touchdowns and four picks.

Maalik Murphy said that he and Loftis have formed a great relationship and are helping each other out.

“You make each other better and the best man goes out there and you hope he produces and puts the team in the best position to win,” Murphy said. “At the end of the day, hopefully everyone succeeds. Maybe you go get another opportunity somewhere else or maybe you play the next year, who knows.”

Duke is coming off of an 8-5 season under Mike Elko, who left for Texas A&M after the 2023 season. Manny Diaz is now the head coach of the Blue Devils, and Murphy is excited to see what Duke can accomplish in 2024, no matter who is at quarterback.

“College football is a roller coaster, so it’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that you guys don’t see, that even the coaches don’t see,” Murphy said. “It’s only us in that locker room. Being able to keep a relationship throughout the battle, that makes the love grow.”

Murphy has had a relationship with Manny Diaz for a long time, which factored into his decision to come to Duke. The opportunity to compete for the starting job also played a role.

“I’ve known him since sixth grade. … It’s not like we had a super strong relationship, but I had something to fall back on,” Murphy said. “I’ve met him before, I’ve talked to him before, and it was not a brand new interaction when I spoke to him once I got into the portal. I kind of just felt comfortable. It was very exciting for me to get an opportunity to go to another school and play with somebody that needs me and not just wants me there.”