Tag: maalik murphy

Duke defense prevails in Blue & White Game

The spring headlines for Duke football centered around as the quarterback battle, but the Blue Devils defense showed it’s still the heart of the team on Saturday.

All of the attention for Duke football centered around the quarterbacks this spring, from new transfer Maalik Murphy to returners Grayson Loftis and Henry Belin IV.

However, during the Blue & White Game on Saturday, the Blue Devils defense proved it won’t go away in the 2024 season with a 24-16 win over the offense.

Last year under former head coach Mike Elko, Duke surrendered just 19.0 points per game, the best mark in the ACC. Elko left for Texas A&M this winter, but former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz took his place and the defense looks like it won’t lose a step under his eye.

Murphy and Loftis split time under center, and while the stats won’t reflect anything due to the informal nature of the scrimmage, Murphy did toss the only touchdown of the game to star wideout Jordan Moore.

However, the defense won almost every other series. Junior defensive back Chandler Rivers fought with Moore for that touchdown catch, nearly wrestling it away for an interception. True freshman Vontae Floyd, a Virginia native, did intercept Loftis for the game’s lone turnover later in the second half.

Duke’s football season gets underway on August 30 against Elon.

WATCH: Maalik Murphy throws first touchdown in Duke uniform to Jordan Moore

Maalik Murphy, who transferred from Texas this winter, notched his first touchdown at Wallace Wade Stadium with a long heave to star receiver Jordan Moore.

Duke fans got their first looks at the Blue Devils 2024 football team on Saturday afternoon during the spring Blue & White Game.

For most fans, the biggest headlines revolved around new quarterback Maalik Murphy, who transferred from Texas over the winter. Murphy got his chances to lead the Duke offense during game scenarios, and the redshirt sophomore showed off his dizzying arm talent over and over again.

It took until the second half of Saturday’s scrimmage for Murphy to toss his first touchdown in Duke colors, but he threw it to the most expected target.

With a little more than eight minutes left on the clock, the new Blue Devils signal-caller turned toward the right sideline and launched an arching pass toward star receiver Jordan Moore. Moore, blanketed by top corner Chandler Rivers, made an eye-popping contested catch for the first trip to the end zone.

Rivers made Moore work for it, wrestling with him for the ball on the ground for nearly a minute, but the touchdown stood. The score pulled the Duke offense within four points of the defense, who still led 17-13 after the touchdown.

WATCH: Duke receiver Eli Pancol’s one-handed catch in practice

Blue Devils wide receiver Eli Pancol hauled in a crazy one-handed catch from new quarterback Maalik Murphy in spring practice. Watch the video here.

Duke’s football season might be months away, but the Blue Devils are still throwing up some crazy social media clips.

New quarterback Maalik Murphy, who transferred from Texas this winter, has drawn the headlines during his first appearances in a Duke uniform, but the player on the other end of his pass got the star moment on Friday.

Senior receiver Eli Pancol hauled in one of Murphy’s passes with one hand in a social media clip shared by the team.

Pancol, a fifth-year wideout, has 70 receptions for 912 yards and five touchdowns across his first four years in Durham. He compiled 347 yards last season, the highest single-season total of his career, and his first 100-yard game came against Northwestern in 2022.

Duke’s 2024 season gets underway on August 30 against Elon.

Duke fans get first glimpses of new QB Maalik Murphy in first spring practice video

Duke football fans got a glimpse of new quarterback Maalik Murphy and his talent in the team’s video recap of the start of spring practice.

Duke football fans got their first taste of the Manny Diaz era, and of new quarterback Maalik Murphy, in a short social media video shared on Saturday morning.

The Blue Devils cut together some highlights from the first day of spring practice, complete with agility drills, scrimmages, and some eye-popping throws from the new signal-caller.

The short clips showed the former Texas quarterback, who committed to the Blue Devils back in December, connecting with new teammates all over the field. At one point in the video, Murphy (wearing the number 57) even fired a no-look pass across his body.

He wasn’t the only passer to star in the short video, however, as one highlight showed Henry Belin IV launching a moonball for a deep completion.

The first season of the Diaz era starts on August 30 against Elon University.

Projecting the five highest-rated Blue Devils in EA Sports’ College Football 25

With EA Sports College Football 25 on the horizon, here’s our ranking of who we think will be the five highest-rated Duke players in the game.

EA Sports has officially done it. They have successfully built the momentum for the latest installment in their beloved college football video game series. It’s been a long wait, but with the teaser trailer they dropped earlier in February and the confirmation early this week that every FBS team had opted in for the video game, it’s finally starting to feel real. The official reveal of the game will come in May.

According to ESPN, Thursday was also the first day that college football players could begin opting to participate in the video game. The report said players would receive $600 and a free game copy.With the momentum of this game hitting a fever pitch and the fact that we are getting closer to release, we decided to look at how Duke may look when the game is released.Without further ado, here’s a look at who we think will be the five highest-rated Blue Devils in the new game when it releases this summer.

Blue Devils confirm they are in EA Sports College Football 25

Duke football will officially be included in EA Sports College Football 25, the return of the highly anticipated college football video game series.

It was probably a foregone conclusion for most Duke fans at this point, but the Blue Devils are officially in the game.

Duke football announced on Thursday through social media that the team would be included in EA Sports College Football 25 when it releases this summer.

Blue Devil fans will (more than likely) be able to work with new quarterback transfer Maalik Murphy and other Duke stars as they build a dynasty in Durham.

Coaches, like new Blue Devils leader Manny Diaz, will reportedly not be in the game.

An ESPN report on Thursday said players do need to opt in for their name, image, and likeness to be used in the new game. Players would be compensated $600 and a free copy of the game if they chose to do so.

The game does not yet have an official release date, but it is expected in the summer of 2024.

ACC approves in-helmet communication during football games

The ACC coaches unanimously support the addition of video usage on the sidelines and verbal communication from coach to player for the upcoming football season, according to a Wednesday release from the conference.

The ACC could have two landmark legislative changes for the 2024 football season.

According to a Wednesday release from the conference, conversations at the ACC’s annual winter meetings included support for in-game video use on the sideline and communication devices inside of player’s helmets for direct communication with coaches.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee would need to give both resolutions final approval, and the ACC added that a vote is expected later this month.

If the resolutions pass, ACC football coaches would have access to in-game video on the sidelines to assist with in-game adjustments (the tablets you see NFL coaches and quarterbacks holding on the bench).

The in-helmet communication system would also provide one-way auditory communication from coaches to players on the field, replacing the old system of sideline signals and hand gestures.

Both concepts were used in at least 14 bowl games, and a December report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger indicated there is a lot of private support for the new legislation to pass.

Duke is latest school to offer four-star quarterback prospect Matt Zollers

Duke extends an offer to four-star QB Matt Zollers.

Maalik Murphy is firmly entrenched as Duke’s starting quarterback for this season and likely the next, barring some unforeseen circumstances.

The depth behind Murphy is also solid, with Henry Belin and Grayson Loftis both having earned playing time during the 2023-2024 season due to unfortunate injuries to the guys in front of them.

Duke didn’t sign a single QB prospect for their 2024 class, so finding one for their 2025 class is most important. In an attempt to do that, Duke offered 2025 four-star QB Matt Zollers out of Spring-Ford High School in Pennsylvania.

Zollers stands just under 6-foot-4 and has athleticism in spades. He has played basketball and baseball for high school, and his footwork shows on his HUDL tape. He has the processing speed needed to be a Power Five quarterback.

Zollers’ recruitment has been going for a while, though, and he already has a top four of Georgia, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Missouri. Duke will have a mountain to overcome, but they have to offer even to have a shot.

Matt Zollers’ Recruiting Profile

 

HUDL

Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy commits to Duke

The former Texas QB has announced where he will be playing football in 2024.

Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy announced his commitment to Duke on Friday after entering the transfer portal earlier this month. Continue reading “Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy commits to Duke”

Maalik Murphy reportedly ready to transfer to Duke — off USC’s big board at QB

A door closes for USC.

Everyone is wondering what Lincoln Riley will do to fill out USC’s quarterback room for 2024 in the Big Ten. Given that Malachi Nelson transferred out of the program, and given that Dillon Gabriel went to Oregon while Cam Ward is in play at Miami and Florida State, the possibility of Maalik Murphy — a Southern California product — going to USC seemed to be within the realm of possibility. It was never likely, but the potential for a plot twist briefly emerged.

Well, you can shut the door on that possibility now.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported Friday night that Murphy is ready to transfer to Duke and play for new Blue Devil head coach Manny Diaz. It’s a huge success for Diaz as he tries to get his program rolling. It also narrows the quarterback market for Riley and USC.

The dream scenario for the Trojans would have been to have Will Howard as the 2024 quarterback and Murphy as the QB-in-waiting for 2025, much as Oregon has Dillon Gabriel for 2024 and Dante Moore for 2025. Yet, Murphy wants to play now, and that’s why going to USC was never the probable outcome. USC had hoped it cound swing such a situation, but that dream appears to have died.

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