What Duke football's Maalik Murphy, Grayson Loftis said about Blue Devils' QB battle

Duke football will have a quarterback battle at fall camp as the Blue Devils begin a new era under first-year coach Manny Diaz .

Coming off an 8-5 overall record, including a 4-4 mark in the ACC and a postseason win against Troy in the Birmingham Bowl, Duke returns sophomore quarterback Grayson Loftis and welcomes Texas transfer Maalik Murphy as a challenger.

Loftis and Murphy were among the players representing the Blue Devils on Wednesday at ACC Kickoff, the league’s annual football media days in Charlotte.

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Here’s a look at what Loftis and Murphy had to say about the quarterback competition leading up to Duke’s 2024 season opener on Friday, Aug. 30, against Elon at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Maalik Murphy’s journey from Texas to Duke

Murphy was a part of a conference championship season at Texas that nearly ended with the Longhorns playing for the national championship in the College Football Playoff. Still, he knew he needed to find an opportunity to play elsewhere.

“I was getting into the portal trying to find a new home. Luckily I found Duke University and Manny being the head coach here,” said Murphy, who was 2-0 as a starter in seven games across two seasons at Texas.

“I couldn't ask for a better place. I've had a great time here the past seven months. I can't wait to see what we do this season.”

Duke football quarterback Grayson Loftis has experience on his side

The Blue Devils’ starter in the final five games of the 2023 season, Loftis enters his sophomore year with experience on his side. He started figuring things out in a shootout loss at UNC, where he finished with four touchdowns.

“I think the main thing I've learned through that process was I didn't know how to be a college quarterback when I started playing. I think what I mean by saying that is, I didn't have a lot of knowledge in how to do it,” Loftis said.

“. … Going into this year, building that foundation to be able to grow off my processes and the questions I can ask to better myself as a player.”

How Maalik Murphy, Grayson Loftis are handling Duke’s quarterback battle

For Loftis, going back to the first time he and Murphy introduced themselves in a team meeting room, everything goes back to “good chemistry” and pushing each other to get better.

As they continue to battle for the starting job, Loftis and Murphy mentioned the importance of asking questions throughout the process.

“You add a guy like Maalik to the quarterback room, a lot of success, just a different avenue. You get to ask him questions,” Loftis said.

“The value of picking up little tidbits of information and knowledge from everyone and using your resources available to you to learn as much about the position you play in football as well.”

Murphy views Loftis as a “partner to work with” on a daily basis.

“Him being here, him having the experience and the knowledge of Duke as a program, knowing the people that's been here, that's come through here, that are here currently, he's able to help me get a better feel for everywhere and everyone that's around me,” Murphy said.

“That's Henry (Belin IV) as well. I ask all of those guys questions. … I don't mind asking questions. Anything that comes into my mind, I let them know.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Duke football's Maalik Murphy, Grayson Loftis said about Blue Devils' QB battle