Ex-Longhorns QB Murphy transferring to Duke
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy has committed to transfer to Duke, giving the Blue Devils and first-year coach Manny Diaz a key building block.
Murphy, one of the top quarterbacks in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, announced his decision on social media Saturday, saying he is “106% Committed.”
Murphy is a 6-foot-5, 238-pound redshirt freshman who brings high-end arm talent to the position. He will be immediately eligible and has three seasons remaining.
ESPN’s No. 250 overall player in the Class of 2022, Murphy is the highest-ranked quarterback and sixth-highest-ranked overall player that Duke football has received a commitment from since ESPN began ranking players in 2006, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Murphy won both of the games he started for Texas this season as a redshirt freshman, beating both BYU and Kansas State. Murphy threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns as he served as Texas’ primary backup behind Quinn Ewers and ahead of freshman Arch Manning.
In speaking to ESPN the night he entered the NCAA transfer portal Dec. 13, Murphy said he prioritized opportunity at his next destination.
“A place where I can play,” he told ESPN last week when asked what he’s looking for in a school. “Continue to get better and continue to be around great people and great players. And just do what’s best for me and my career.”
Duke’s starting job opened when star quarterback Riley Leonard decided to commit to Notre Dame. Leonard entered the NCAA transfer portal soon after coach Mike Elko took the Texas A&M job.
If Murphy returned to Texas, he’d have likely continued to back up Ewers, who has yet to declare he’s returning to Texas in 2024 but that remains the prevailing thought in his circle. Murphy’s decision to transfer means he won’t be with Texas for the College Football Playoff, as he prioritized the opportunity to find a school and secure his future.
“I just want to be in a position where I can play,” Murphy told ESPN last week. “Where I can get a chance to play. 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.”
That will happen at Duke, as Murphy is expected to enroll in January and immediately compete for the starting job. And his arrival will coincide with the arrival of Diaz, the decorated former Penn State defensive coordinator who previously served as the head coach at Miami.
Sources told ESPN that Murphy spent a lot of time discussing what Duke’s offense would look like with new offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer, the former SMU quarterbacks coach. He’s expected to install a similar offense that SMU ran under Rhett Lashlee. While Diaz was at Miami as both the defensive coordinator and head coach, Lashlee worked as the offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021.
Murphy was ESPN’s No. 12 pocket passer in the class of 2022. He visited both South Carolina and Oregon State after entering the NCAA transfer portal.
LSU football has a high-profile coaching vacancy, and a familiar face has thrown his hat into the ring.
Ed Orgeron, who was ousted by LSU less than two years after coaching the Tigers to a national championship, said he “would love” to return to the school as Brian Kelly’s replacement.
LSU fired Kelly in stunning fashion Sunday, citing the “high hopes” that the program failed to reach under his leadership and announcing that a “national search” was underway for the Tigers’ new coach.
Three days later, during an interview Wednesday with ESPN’s “UnSportsmanLike,” Orgeron was asked whether he wanted his old job back.
“I’d love to,” Orgeron responded. “Are you kidding me? Hey, I’m one phone call away. I just gotta get in my truck; I could be there today.”
One of the top coaches currently linked to the LSU job is Ole Miss‘ Lane Kiffin, who also worked with Orgeron at USC.
Orgeron, who has been out of coaching since leaving LSU in 2021, was asked Wednesday if he would consider returning to the program as an assistant under Kiffin.
“Yeah, I’d consider it,” he said. “I love LSU. I still got my home in Baton Rouge. I loved when I was coaching for Coach Miles being the defensive line coach. I love the Tigers, and if I’m getting back into coaching, for sure I’d consider it. No doubt.”
Orgeron’s tenure as LSU’s head coach ended after the 2021 season in what he described as a mutual decision between himself and the school. He went 51-20 in his six years at LSU, highlighted by the Tigers’ 15-0 run in a 2019 season punctuated by an NCAA championship.
Orgeron, who grew up rooting for the Tigers in nearby Larose, Louisiana, said LSU’s next head coach must embrace being a part of the state’s culture — something he says Kelly never did.
“I think that’s one of the things — whether it’s true or not — the look from the outside, Brian Kelly never embraced the state of Louisiana,” he said. “When you get those guys on your side, it’s very powerful. I think getting everybody to pull in the same direction, like Pete Carroll did, like we did, one team, one heartbeat, is gonna be the key for the next coach.”
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