Ex-Texas QB lands starting job at Power 5 school

Jan 13, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship logo at midfield at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Maalik Murphy’s decision to transfer to Duke seems to be working out.

Murphy announced his decision to transfer from Texas in December before the team’s College Football Playoff game. He decided to move to Duke, and on Monday, he was reported to have won the team’s starting quarterback job.

Sources: Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy has won the Blue Devil starting job and will start the opener against Elon. Murphy is a Texas transfer who won both his starts last year (BYU and Kansas State) for the Longhorns and threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/sL0tZbcTlx

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 19, 2024

Murphy was a four-star recruit coming out of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Calif. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Longhorns before deciding to leave. Between Quinn Ewers staying for the 2024 season and Arch Manning behind Ewers, the path to extended playing time seemed to be convoluted. That’s why Murphy went elsewhere.

As Ewers’ primary backup last season, Murphy passed for 477 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Duke is coming off an 8-5 season under Mike Elko, though they have a new head coach for 2024 in Manny Diaz. The Blue Devils open the 2024 season against Elon on August 30.