Duke football, under new head coach Manny Diaz, decides on its starting quarterback
Duke football, now led by new head coach Manny Diaz, has selected its starting quarterback for the upcoming season. After cycling through three different starters en route to a winning record and a bowl victory last year, the Blue Devils will once again see a new face at the helm. Maalik Murphy, a transfer from Texas who joined Duke in January, will take the reins when the team opens their season at home against Elon on August 30.
“All of our quarterbacks have shown significant improvement since we began practice last month,” Diaz said in a statement. “Maalik has earned the starting role through his dedication, hard work, and productivity. I’m thrilled for him because of the commitment he’s made to this team and program. We’re fortunate to have two other quarterbacks, Henry and Grayson, who have both led this team to victories. They’ll keep pushing Maalik and be ready to step in if needed, and we’re confident in their ability to lead the offense.”
Last season, Henry Belin and Grayson Loftis both started games for Duke under coach Mike Elko after Riley Leonard, who had led the team to a 4-1 start and a national ranking, suffered an ankle injury. After Elko departed for Texas A&M, Leonard entered the transfer portal and joined Notre Dame in December, paving the way for Murphy to transfer to Duke and help usher in the Diaz era. Murphy started two games for Texas last season, securing wins against BYU and Kansas State. Over seven career games with the Longhorns, he completed 40 of 71 passes (56.3%) for 477 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. The Inglewood, California, native is a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining. Belin started Duke’s 24-3 victory over N.C. State last season but was limited by an upper body injury for the rest of the season. With Leonard sidelined for good due to his ankle injury, Loftis took over as a freshman, starting the final five games, including a 17-10 win over Troy in the Birmingham Bowl. Loftis completed 91 of 163 passes (55.8%) for 1,006 yards, with eight touchdowns and four interceptions last season.
During Duke’s preseason camp this month, Loftis and Murphy were the primary contenders for the starting quarterback position while Belin worked on regaining his health. Following the team’s second preseason scrimmage, Diaz noted the strong performances from his quarterbacks.
“Maalik and Grayson have both been playing at a high level, continuously improving,” Diaz said. “It’s also encouraging to see Henry Belin starting to throw the ball well again, which adds another dynamic to our offense.”
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