The 2025 Oregon State football team has many questions entering this year. This is the Beavers' second full season after the Pac-12 collapsed. The Beavers were 5-7 last year, but they have some hope this season, starting with the quarterback position. Transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy comes into Corvallis with a lot of talent and was named the starter for Week One.

Maalik Murphy has had an interesting start to his college career. He started his career in Texas but then transferred to Duke. He was solid at Duke last season and now finds himself in Corvallis for his junior year. On Wednesday, On3 Sports' College Football Insider, Pete Nakos, reported that Murphy won the job and will start for the Beavers in Week One against Cal.

Nakos posted on X: “Former Texas and Duke QB Maalik Murphy is expected to be named Oregon State’s week 1 starter.”

The Oregon State football program's ability to grab Maalik Murphy out of the transfer portal was a massive win for a program that has not been known to be a major player in the portal. Murphy is easily the best target the Beavers have taken out of the portal this offseason, so it only makes sense that he would end up starting.

Murphy transferred from Texas two seasons ago after the Longhorns made the College Football Playoff, but before the game started due to the NCAA's transfer rules. He went to Duke and had a solid season with the Blue Devils in Manny Diaz's first season. He had 2,933 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on a 60.3% completion percentage.

Duke and Manny Diaz still went with a different option at quarterback for the 2025 season, and went all in on Darian Mensah from Tulane, and Maalik Murphy transferred out to Oregon State.

The Oregon State football program needs a spark to help draw attention to its team, and head coach Trent Bray did that by naming Maalik Murphy the starter after picking him up out of the transfer portal. Murphy, who stands at 6-feet-5 inches and weighs 234 pounds, has the physical tools that would be a difference maker for any coach.

The Oregon State football team was left for dead after the Pac-12 collapsed. They lost Jonathan Smith to Michigan State, and their future starting quarterback, Aidan Chiles, followed him to East Lansing. However, Trent Bray and Maalik Murphy could help this program get some redemption and even get to a bowl game.

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