NCAAF Nation released a list of the top 50 college football quarterbacks ahead of the 2024 season on Tuesday, and new Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy didn’t make the cut.
Murphy, the highest-rated quarterback prospect to ever commit to the Blue Devils, transferred to Durham this winter after two years with the Texas Longhorns. He earned the backup role over popular freshman Archie Manning last season and started two games while Quinn Ewers dealt with an injury.
In the first start against BYU, Murphy threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-6 rout. He also lifted Texas to an overtime victory over Kansas State the following week with a career-high 248 yards.
He finished his redshirt freshman season with 477 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions after completing 40 of his 71 passes (56.3%).
It might make sense to not rank a quarterback with two starts and 477 career passing yards inside the top 50 because he was a four-star prospect two years ago. However, Nebraska true freshman Dylan Raiola made the list without ever throwing a pass, and USC quarterback Miller Moss cracked the top 40 after one breakout performance in the Holiday Bowl last year.
Ranking the Top #FBS QBs heading into 2024 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Agree or Disagree? Read the article for more on each QB. https://t.co/wwN4BCdTV7 pic.twitter.com/krkWqh8zrq
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) June 4, 2024
It wasn’t anti-ACC bias, either. 10 different starting quarterbacks from the conference made the top 50, including five in the top 25. Miami transfer Cameron Ward finished the highest at eighth with NC State’s Grayson McCall (14th), Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones (18th), Georgia Tech’s Haynes King (21st), and Florida State‘s DJ Uiagalelei (25th) notably included.