Duke Blue Devils sign quarterback transfer Manny Diaz from Texas Longhorns to kick off Manny Diaz era.
The Duke Blue Devils won their first game of the Birmingham Bowl against Troy on Saturday. Maalik Murphy, who led Texas to two wins and a College Football Playoff trip this season, has committed to Duke as a transfer. Murphy made his decision public on social media. Murphy, a product of Inglewood, California, was a four-star recruit out of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California. He started the season as a backup to Quinn Ewers for the Longhorns as a freshman.
When Ewers was injured, Murphy took over as starter for two games. On Oct. 28, Murphy completed 16 of 25 throws for 170 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 35-6 win over Brigham Young. Texas defeated Kansas State, 33-30, the following Saturday, with Murphy completing 19 of 37 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. He is eligible for three more seasons.
Duke needed to acquire a quarterback when Riley Leonard, the team’s starter at the start of the season, announced plans to transfer to Notre Dame for his senior year. Leonard did not play for Duke after suffering a turf toe injury on his left foot in a 23-0 loss to Louisville on Oct. 28. Freshman Grayson Loftis started the Blue Devils’ final four regular-season games, guiding them to victories over Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils also have freshman quarterback Henry Belin, who took over when Leonard went down with a sprained right ankle against N.C. State on Oct. 14.
Belin, on the other hand, has been hampered by an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since replacing Leonard in Duke’s 38-20 loss to Florida State on Oct. 21. Belin and Loftis, like Murphy, have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Four-star quarterback Tyler Cherry, who committed to Duke earlier this year, changed his mind after head coach Mike Elko resigned to become head coach at Texas A&M this month. Cherry is instead traveling to Indiana.
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