Texas Transfer Murphy Named Duke’s Starting QB
(ACC Snapshot Includes Few Home-Grown Talents)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
First-year Duke coach Manny Diaz on Monday became the latest Atlantic Coast Conference football leader to name a major college transfer as his starting quarterback, as former Texas backup Maalik Murphy was selected to lead the Blue Devils in their Aug. 30 season opener against Elon.
“First and foremost, all of our quarterbacks have been impressive and made really good strides since we opened practice last month,” Diaz said. “Maalik has earned the opportunity to be our starting quarterback with his preparation, work ethic and productivity. I’m really excited for him because of his investment into this team and this program.”
Duke’s decision means that as many as 14 of the ACC’s 17 football teams (please see list below) will have a starting quarterback who arrived via the transfer portal.
The only three surefire “home-grown” exceptions, meaning they were signed and developed by their current school directly from the high school ranks, are Clemson junior Cade Klubnik, SMU junior Preston Stone and Stanford junior Ashton Daniels.
Cal sophomore Fernando Mendoza, North Carolina sophomore Conner Harrell, Pitt junior Nate Yarnell and Virginia sophomore Anthony Colandrea are among those who have a chance to add their names to that home-grown list in the coming days and weeks.
A four-star prospect from California in the Class of 2022, Murphy spent his first two college seasons at Texas, mostly as a backup to Quinn Ewers, who is the team’s projected starter again this season. Highly touted recruit Arch Manning, a grandson of legendary former National Football League quarterback Archie Manning (and a nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning), presented additional competition on the Longhorns’ depth chart, after redshirting last season in Austin.
Duke’s quarterback position was considered wide-open after two-year starter Riley Leonard transferred to Notre Dame in the aftermath of coach Mike Elko’s decision to leave the Blue Devils and take the Texas A&M job last November.
Murphy beat out sophomore Grayson Loftis, a part-time starter for the Devils last season, for the 2024 starting job. As a true freshman in 2023, Loftis started five games for Duke while Leonard (projected as the Fighting Irish’s starter this season) battled a serious ankle injury. The Devils went 3-2 in Loftis’ five starts, with wins over Wake Forest, Pitt and Troy (bowl game) and losses at UNC and at Virginia.
Redshirt sophomore Henry Belin IV adds additional experience for the Blue Devils in the quarterback room. In his only career start, he led Duke to a 24-3 victory over NC State in Durham last season, although he completed only 4 of 12 passes and threw an interception in a game dominated by Elko’s defense.
“We’re really fortunate to have two young men in the room who have won games here at Duke,” Diaz said. “Both Henry and Grayson will continue to prepare like starters and push Maalik, and we’ve got confidence in their abilities to lead our offense.”
Murphy, who is much more of a passer than a runner at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, also has limited experience as a starting QB at the college level. When Ewers was injured last season, during a campaign that ended with Texas in the College Football Playoff, Murphy started two games for the Longhorns and led them to victory in both.
In a home contest against BYU, Murphy completed 16 of 25 passing attempts for 170 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 35-6 Texas triumph. In a home game against Kansas State, he completed 19 of 37 passing attempts for 248 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 33-30 Texas victory in overtime.
Under the NCAA’s transfer portal rules, Murphy (please see his recent interview with the North Carolina Sports Network at the link below) had to make an in-or-out decision before Texas headed to the College Football Playoff. He opted to enter the portal and miss the Longhorns’ CFP game, ultimately signing with Duke over Baylor, Oregon State and South Carolina.
“I just want to be in a position where I can play,” Murphy said in December. “I don’t want to be waiting around and see what happens or anything like that. I’d rather kick-start my career while I can.”
2024 Preseason QB Snapshot: Named/Projected Starters
(School — Player, Class, Recruiting Details)
Boston College — Thomas Castellanos, junior, 2023 transfer (UCF)
Cal — Chandler Rogers*, 5th-year senior, 2024 transfer (North Texas)
Clemson — Cade Klubnik, junior, 2022 high school signee
Duke — Maalik Murphy, 3rd-year sophomore, 2024 transfer (Texas)
Florida State — DJ Uiagalelei, 5th-year senior, 2024 transfer (Oregon State)
Georgia Tech — Haynes King, 5th-year senior, 2023 transfer (Texas A&M)
Louisville — Tyler Shough, 7th-year senior, 2024 transfer (Texas Tech)
Miami — Cam Ward, 5th-year senior, 2024 transfer (Washington State)
North Carolina — Max Johnson*, 5th-year senior, 2024 transfer (Texas A&M)
NC State — Grayson McCall, 6th-year senior, 2024 transfer (Coastal Carolina)
Pitt — Nate Yarnell*, 4th-year junior, 2021 high school signee
SMU — Preston Stone, 4th-year junior, 2021 high school signee
Stanford — Ashton Daniels, junior, 2022 high school signee
Syracuse — Kyle McCord, senior, 2024 transfer (Ohio State)
Virginia — Anthony Colandrea, sophomore, 2023 high school signee
Virginia Tech — Kyron Drones, 4th-year junior, 2023 transfer (Baylor)
Wake Forest — Hank Bachmeier, 6th-year senior, 2024 transfer (Louisiana Tech)
*—projected; not yet officially announced as team’s starting QB
