Texas Or Transfer Portal: What Is QB Maalik Murphy of the Longhorns Up to After the CFP?
The quarterback situation for the Texas Longhorns is currently being handled by Quinn Ewers, while Arch Manning is expected to be the team’s future star in Austin. What does that signify for Maalik Murphy’s tenure at Forty Acres, then? Murphy needs to examine himself closely in the mirror over the next few weeks. Murphy was courted by numerous schools with NIL checks, but he decided to stay for another season. His time with the program isn’t over, even if he decides to stay with the Longhorns for the rest of the 2023 campaign. He is not alone among quarterbacks who have been in his position. When it becomes clear that climbing the depth chart could mean sacrificing other things, dozens of second-team passers are thinking the same thing.
Murphy finds himself in a difficult situation. Ewers appears likely to run it back with Steve Sarkisian in 2024 when Texas joins the SEC. He is eligible to enter the draft in April. Manning, the former top-ranked quarterback recruit of 2022, has no plans to move as long as Sarkisian continues to lead the program. If Ewers sticks around, he’ll need to prevent Manning from becoming the starting quarterback through fall training. If he performs similarly in the SEC, or even better, he will undoubtedly generate first-round buzz coming into the 2025 offseason. Additionally, Manning will have two years of mental training under his belt in Sarkisian’s staff, so the initial transition should be easy.
How come? Do you really believe that the nephew of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks won’t find the physical reps easy?
Murphy is not a flawless player, but he has potential. The cannon he calls an arm is attached to his shoulder and holds oodles of unrealized potential. Longhorn country got a glimpse of what might have happened if Ewers suffered a blow against Houston and missed the rest of the campaign.
Murphy completed a career-high 64 percent of passes for two touchdowns against BYU. He guided Texas to six scoring drives in the game against Kansas State, and in the opening quarter, he connected with Adonai Mitchell for a 37-yard touchdown. Yes, Murphy also made three bad passes, one of which allowed K-State to rally and force overtime, but the young player definitely has talent. Sarkisian has been observing.
So have other coaches who are looking in from the outside, and they’re holding off on offering Murphy a scholarship and possibly a sizable sum of NIL money until after he makes a decision about his future.
They can also give Murphy something Sarkisian is unable to offer at this time: the opportunity to oversee a program and have exclusive first-team reps. Murphy can only establish his worth to higher-level players with repetitions, and those appear to be hard to come by in Austin. And no, it’s not merely temporary. The “Arch Era” is eagerly anticipated by fans, so it appears that Murphy’s days of holding the clipboard at DKR are over. Should he remain
Murphy most likely won’t depart prior to the Sugar Bowl matchup with No. 2 Washington, unlike some others. All it would take for him to put on the helmet and play is one bad hit against Ewers. If Texas wants to extend its season one more week in order to play Houston on the road, Sarkisian needs someone who can run the offense the way he wants it, even if Manning is the future.
Murphy’s position with the Horns is probably not going to be decided by Ewers’ choice. He will have to make the decision that is best for his future and come to terms with it on his own. Murphy’s dedication to the program was commended by Sarkisian. He’s been the best qualified QB2 that Texas could have asked for. Associated with: Xavier Worthy, Byron Murphy, and T’Vondre Sweat Known as AP Every American Perhaps he will remain to defend QB1 in 2024. Maybe that explains why Texas perseveres through the SEC’s formidable schedule and travels to Atlanta in December of the following year. However, loyalty is only so strong for so long. Sometimes progress is made through proven production.
