Texas Backup Maalik Murphy Is A Freakishly Large Quarterback With Massive Python Arms
As the 2023 college football season quickly approaches, there is a lot of chatter surrounding the Texas Longhorns and whether they are truly "back," as they have claimed for the last four years. All of the pieces are in place offensively to explode and the defense returns the majority of its starters.
There only seems to be one question: Is Quinn Ewers the guy?
Ewers, a former No. 1 overall recruit, arrived in Austin with a massive amount of hype after redshirting at Ohio State. He was, and is, supposed to be the anointed one.
However, last fall did not go so well. There were moments in which Ewers looked like a star.
There were moments in which Ewers struggled.
The issues may have stemmed from an A.C. Join injury that Ewers suffered in Week 2. It kept him on the sideline for a few weeks and it hindered him throughout the year.
Ewers is back at full strength in 2023 and he's a lot leaner. He and Steve Sarkisian had a chat at the start of the offseason and it's been all business ever since.
Although Ewers is in great shape and ready to prove why he was the No. 1 guy in his recruiting class, there are still people who doubt him. The haters wonder if he is the guy.
Should Ewers not play well, it would make for an interesting scenario.
Texas has two viable backups.
The Longhorns quarterbacks hit the weight room hard during the offseason. Arch Manning is a lot bigger than he was a year ago. Maalik Murphy is a monster.
While Manning draws all of the headlines, Murphy is quietly ready to make some noise when called upon. The redshirt freshman is a former four-star recruit (he was ranked as a five-star but the COVID season messed things up) and stands 6-foot-5, 238 pounds of pure muscle.
Texas had to put together a big NIL deal during the offseason to keep him around because he was in such high demand. His tape is impressive and, by all accounts, he has that "it" factor.
Maalik does so many cool things that flash. We're trying to minimize some of the kind of the one or two plays of practice where there's an error.
Putting his on-field play aside, Murphy is a massive, massive dude. His arms are huge and chiseled from a boulder.
(Image courtesy: University of Texas athletics)
(Image courtesy: University of Texas athletics)
Ewers is QB1 and has an opportunity to silence a lot of negative talk. Murphy is waiting for his chance as QB2.
If things start to go south after a few early losses, will that switch? Will Sarkisian go to the alien?