By Louis Fernandez, WRAL Sports

The battle for starting quarterback in Durham is over.

Texas transfer Maalik Murphy will start behind center for Duke, the team confirmed in a social media post on Monday night. Murphy, a redshirt sophomore, and true sophomore Grayson Loftis competed to be the starter since Murphy’s arrival after the 2023 season.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel initially reported the decision.

“Maalik has earned the opportunity to be our starting quarterback with his preparation, work ethic and productivity,” Duke first-year coach Manny Diaz said in a statement. “I’m really excited for him because of his investment into this team and this program.”

Murphy played in seven games for Texas during his two years with the Longhorns. He threw for 477 yards with three touchdowns as well as three interceptions.

Texas won both games Murphy started in 2023, helping the Longhorns reach the four-team College Football Playoff. Murphy left the Longhorns before the playoff.

“It was definitely tough separating myself from the team during that time, kind of just doing what was best for me,” Murphy said during the ACC Football Kickoff in July.

Loftis started five games for the Blue Devils last season as injuries sidelined starting quarterback Riley Leonard and back-up Henry Belin IV. Loftis threw for 1,006 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions in 2023.

Leonard transferred to Notre Dame after the offseason. Belin IV is still on the Duke roster.

“We’re really fortunate to have two young men in the room who have won games here at Duke. Both Henry (Belin IV) and Grayson (Loftis) will continue to prepare like starters and push Maalik, and we’ve got confidence in their abilities to lead our offense,” Diaz said in a statement.

Loftis said he and Murphy had a good relationship as they battled for the job.

“The ability to be able to joke around, crack jokes with the guy, push yourself to be the best player, push the other guy to be the best player in an informal way,” Loftis said at ACC Football Kickoff in July. “Have fun while you’re doing it. You don’t realize you’re getting better. You’re just out having fun with a buddy at practice.”

The Blue Devils open the 2024 season against Elon on Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Durham.

Source: wralsportsfan.com