Duke Blue Devils land quarterback transfer from Texas Longhorns to start Manny Diaz era
The Duke Blue Devils grabbed a win Saturday even before beginning play against Troy in the Birmingham Bowl.
Maalik Murphy, who quarterbacked Texas to two wins on the way to its College Football Playoff appearance this season, committed to the Blue Devils as a transfer. Murphy posted his decision on social media.
An Inglewood, California native, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound Murphy was a four-star recruit out of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California. A freshman, he began this season as a backup to Quinn Ewers for the Longhorns.
But Murphy took over the starting role for two games when Ewers was injured. Murphy completed 16 of 25 passes for 170 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in a 35-6 win over Brigham Young on Oct. 28.
The following Saturday, Texas beat Kansas State, 33-30, as Murphy completed 19 of 37 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.
He has three seasons of eligibility available.
Duke needed to add a quarterback after Riley Leonard, its starter when the season began, announced plans to transfer to Notre Dame to play his senior season. Leonard didn’t play for the Blue Devils after sustaining a turf toe injury on his left foot during a 23-0 loss at Louisville on Oct. 28.
Freshman Grayson Loftis started Duke’s final four regular-season games, leading the Blue Devils to wins against Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils also have freshman quarterback Henry Belin, who started when they beat N.C. State, 24-3, on Oct. 14 when Leonard was sidelined with a sprained right ankle.
But Belin has been slowed by an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since relieving Leonard in Duke’s 38-20 loss at Florida State on Oct. 21.
Like Murphy, Belin and Loftis still have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
The Blue Devils saw four-star quarterback Tyler Cherry, who committed to them earlier this year, change his mind after head coach Mike Elko left Duke to become Texas A&M’s head coach this month. Cherry is going to Indiana instead.
This story was originally published December 23, 2023 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Duke Blue Devils land quarterback transfer from Texas Longhorns to start Manny Diaz era."