For the second season in a row, a Duke Blue Devils football quarterback is in the NCAA transfer portal. Maalik Murphy has announced that he is leaving Durham after a single season with the ACC program, which he led to a 9-3 record in 2024.
Murphy started his college career with the Texas Longhorns, but he never played a snap there in two seasons. He entered the transfer portal the first time in 2023 and redshirted his first season with the Blue Devils. This year, Duke won nine games in the regular season for the first time since 2014 and earned a bid to the Gator Bowl, where the Blue Devils will face Mississippi on Jan. 2.
BetCarolina.com, your source for the best North Carolina sportsbook promos, assembled this list of schools most likely to land Murphy this offseason.
College | Odds | Percentage Chance |
Auburn | +150 | 40.0% |
Kentucky | +300 | 25.0% |
Oregon | +1250 | 7.4% |
Ohio State | +1250 | 7.4% |
Texas A&M | +1750 | 5.4% |
Miami (FL) | +1750 | 5.4% |
The Field | +900 | 10.0% |
These odds are exclusive to BetCarolina.com as part of our continuing North Carolina sports betting coverage.
This year, Murphy threw for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns in 12 starts for first year head coach Manny Diaz and company, guiding the Blue Devils to a 5-3 mark in ACC play and securing his place as one of the most productive passers in the conference.
Now, the California native is on the market for the second time in three years.
For the Gator Bowl, Duke’s first appearance in a January postseason game since the 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl under coach Fred Goldsmith, the Blue Devils are a 15-point underdog against Ole Miss, according to Caesars North Carolina Sportsbook oddsmakers.
These odds have seen a shakeup since we initially published them on Dec. 11.
Our top landing spot for Murphy this offseason is now Auburn, at +150 odds. The Tigers went 5-7 overall, 2-6 in SEC play under coach Hugh Freeze. They'll need to replace Payton Thorne, who passed for 2,713 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his final season of eligibility.
Up next on our board is another SEC team that, like Auburn, missed out on bowl season in 2024. That would be Kentucky (4-8, 1-7), which we have at +300 odds. That would translate to a 25% implied probability if it were offered at NC sportsbook apps.
Other teams to keep an eye on include Oregon and Ohio State at +1250 odds each. The Buckeyes (Will Howard) and Ducks (Dillon Gabriel) need to find new quarterbacks for 2025. Gabriel finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in his lone season at Oregon, his third school.
USA Today photo by Jaylynn Nash
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetCarolina.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
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