After weeks of speculation, the Duke Blue Devils have officially landed on their new starting quarterback, with Maalik Murphy, the transfer from the University of Texas, beating out Henry Belin IV and Grayson Loftis, according to ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel.

“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.”

Originally committing to the University of Texas after receiving offers from no less than 17 high-profile schools from Alabama to Ohio State, Florida, and both of his hometown schools, USC and UCLA, Murphy appeared in just seven games with two starts for the Longhorns in 2023 following a redshirt year as a true freshman. With eligibility to spare and a burning desire to prove he's still one of the top young players in the NCAA today, if Murphy plays his best football in Durham this fall, it could keep the Blue Devils on track after losing Riley Leonard to the transfer portal.

Maalik Murphy wearing a Duke Blue Devils football uniform next to the Duke Blue Devil

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Manny Diaz is excited to have Maalik Murphy at Duke this fall

Discussing the prospects of Murphy taking his talents to Duke in the transfer portal now that the deal has officially been done, head coach Manny Diaz celebrated his addition, noting that the former Texas Longhorn has done everything he needed to do to earn the starting QB spot.

“First and foremost, all of our quarterbacks have been impressive and made really good strides since we opened practice last month,” Diaz explained in a statement via The News Observer. “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. And we're really fortunate to have two young men in the room who have won games here at Duke. 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.”

With the NCAA season rapidly approaching, someone was going to win Duke's quarterback spot – and every other open QB spot for that matter, too – ahead of Week 1. In Murphy, the Blue Devils have a former four-star recruit with a few impressive wins on his resume, and as a result, fans should be very excited to see their team take on Elon next Friday.