Texas QB Maalik Murphy Turned Down 'Multiple' Transfer Overtures From Power 5 Teams
AUSTIN - There might not have been a more impressive player for the Texas Longhorns in spring football than No. 2 quarterback Maalik Murphy, who put the country on notice with a dominant outing in the Orange-White game last month.
In that game, with Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers taking the headlines coming in, Murphy shined, Murphy put on a show, completing 9 of 13 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, including a beautiful deep pass to freshman Johntay Cook for the touchdown.
And according to reports from 247Sports' Chris Hummer on Thursday, Murphy's performance in that game, caught the eye of 'multiple Power 5 programs', who contacted him in attempts to lure him away from Austin in the transfer portal.
Multiple SEC schools reached out to those around Murphy to gauge his interest in transferring, per sources," Hummer wrote. 'Additionally, at least one school from the Big Ten and Pac-12 also inquired.
One source even indicated to Hummer that some schools were attempting to reach out to Murphy before the spring game to gauge his interest in transferring, in some part due to the media frenzy surrounding Manning.
“Even before the spring game, there were people trying to reach out,” a source close to Murphy told Hummer. “All the write-ups you end up seeing, everything is about Arch. You start seeing all that and you kind of forget about Maalik, and where are his opportunities? So, there were a lot of people trying to see if there was a chance to love him up a little bit.”
However, Murphy turned down the overtures from those programs and elected to stay at Texas, where he will serve as the backup to Ewers in the upcoming season - ahead of Arch Manning.
Why? According to Hummer's source, Murphy wants to be a Texas, and continue to compete for his opportunity to start for Steve Sarkisian.
“He likes to compete,” the source said. “That’s a big deal for him. He loves the school and the program, and I think he wants to give himself a legit shot to be healthy and show what he can do.”
And if things go according to the original plan for Ewers, and he is a big year in 2023, as many expect him to, the NFL could come calling sooner than later. This would, presumably, mean that Murphy would be in line to compete for the Longhorns' starting job in 2024 when the program makes its on-field debut in the SEC.
Of course, he would also have to battle Manning for the job in that scenario - something that the competitor in Murphy is not afraid of. And if you ask Sarkisian, there is no reason to believe he couldn't take the field for the 2024 opener as the Longhorns' No. 1 QB.
"I think the sky is the limit for the guy," Sarkisian said.
And it appears a good portion of the Power 5 agrees.
You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan
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