After two seasons on the Forty Acres, redshirt freshman quarterback Maalik Murphy has transferred to Duke.

Murphy originally committed to the Longhorns in December of 2021 as a four-star recruit, ranked as the ninth-best quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports. Murphy was the first quarterback commitment of the Sarkisian era, joining transfer Quinn Ewers in the quarterback room in Austin.

Murphy did not see action in the 2022 season but was a key contributor to Texas’ current College Football Playoff campaign. Murphy saw action in four early games but made his mark when replacing the injured Ewers in the Longhorns’ victory over Houston. Murphy started the next two games in place of the injured Ewers, defeating BYU 35-6 and narrowly avoiding an upset against Kansas State, winning 33-30 in overtime. Murphy’s final stats at Texas include 477 passing yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

With so much talent in the current Texas quarterback room, Murphy’s transfer does not come by surprise. Five-star freshman Arch Manning waited behind him in 2022, but with chances of Ewers’ return and the addition of 2024 four-star Trey Owens, Murphy was unlikely to become a long-term starter. The quarterback chose Duke, an ACC program coming off two straight winning seasons under head coach Mike Elko, who was recently hired to take the Texas A&M coaching job. 

Murphy will likely take the reins as quarterback for Duke’s new head coach Manny Diaz, who served as the defensive coordinator for Penn State this past season. Penn State had the third-best scoring defense in 2023, and Diaz already has a track record of coaching in the ACC, leading the helm at Miami from 2019-21 where he went 21-15.