ESPN released a massive piece on Tuesday morning with David Hale slotting all 134 quarterback situations into 20 tiers.
Duke quarterback [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag], who spent two years with the Texas Longhorns before transferring to the Blue Devils over the winter, finished in Tier 7.
The ranking above the median sounds complimentary on paper, but 30 teams (including seven ACC schools) populated the six tiers above. Hale also titled Tier 7 “The Curse of ’22” and bemoaned how Murphy’s recruiting class disappointed thus far.
“Per ESPN’s rankings, there were 31 quarterbacks rated as a four- or five-star recruit for 2022,” Hale wrote. “They’ve so far combined for just 68 starts, a 53.8 Total QBR, 58.5% completions and 6.5 yards per pass.”
Murphy, a four-star prospect in that class, started two games in relief of Texas starter Quinn Ewers last season and threw three touchdowns and three interceptions in the two wins.
In fact, Hale seemed to think the spot gave Murphy too much credit.
“In truth, we should probably have Allar and Weigman (No. 1 pocket passer) both ranked a bit higher and, perhaps, Klubnik and Murphy (No. 12 pocket passer) ranked a bit lower,” Hale wrote.
Murphy gets his chance to make waves and vault up as a starter in Durham beginning on August 30 against Elon.