Report: Maalik Murphy Officially Named Oregon State Starting Quarterback

First reported by On3’s Pete Nakos, Oregon State is expected to slot redshirt junior quarterback Maalik Murphy atop their first two-deep depth chart ahead of August 30th’s season opener against California.

A transfer from Duke, Murphy committed to Oregon State in late December . In Spring and Fall camps, he has worked with the first team offense as the presumptive starting quarterback. Media availabilities this month featured multiple interviews with Oregon State head coach Trent Bray and offensive coordinator Ryan Gunderson; neither coach gave any indication that the re was a quarterback competition. The much-hyped former four star recruit was head & shoulders above any of his peers at the position.

Before joining the Beavers, Murphy spent his first two years of college football at Texas - primarily as a backup, but appearing in 7 games with 2 starts - and then spent last year at Duke. There, he started all 12 of the Blue Devils' games, and made the most of that opportunity; he now owns the Duke school record for touchdown passes in a single season. 

Following his success in Durham, the redshirt junior quarterback has been named to numerous awards’ preseason watch lists, including the Unitas Golden Arm award, the Davey O’Brien award, and the Maxwell award.  

Murphy and Oregon State will kick off the season at Reser Stadium on Saturday August 30th at 7:30 PM versus California. The game will air on ESPN.