ESPN Says Oregon State QB Maalik Murphy Has 'Room For Improvement'

Following a season of iffy quarterback play at Oregon State, Trent Bray's staff made a big addition this offseason in former Duke and Texas starting quarterback Maalik Murphy. The Beavers are hoping the addition of the veteran signal caller will help them improve upon last season's 5-7 record.

Murphy could certainly be an upgrade to the Beavers' vertical passing attack that averaged 201.4 yards through the air (No. 94 in FBS). However, some national pundits have Murphy in a category of quarterbacks that have yet to reach their potential.

Ahead of the 2025 season, ESPN placed every FBS quarterback room into a tier list. Writer David Hale placed Oregon State's quarterback room in the thirteenth tier out of 26 total tiers. Starter Murphy was placed in a group with Pittsburgh's Eli Holstein and West Virginia's Nicco Marchiol.

"Holstein, Marchiol and Murphy, who were all solid recruits, have shown flashes of brilliance but have left fans wanting more. But if they can build off the foundation from 2024 and blossom this season, there's a chance they could become genuine stars," Hale said.

Muprhy began his career at Texas, speding two seasons with the Longhorns and appearing in seven games with two starts (winning both). Murphy completed 40-of-71 pass attempts for 477 yards with three touchdowns against three interceptions for the Longhorns in that 2022-2023 timespan.

Murphy transferred to Duke for the 2024 season, where he completed 254 passes on 4211 attempts with 26 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. His 26 touchdown passes were a Duke program record. Duke finished the 2024 regular season with an overall record of 9-3.

Oregon State will open the 2025 season on August 30 at home in Corvallis against the Cal Golden Bears.