When quarterback Maalik Murphy gave Texas a silent commitment prior to his February 13 public announcement, he had never even seen the UT campus or the city of Austin. Since that time, the Rivals100 member has been to Austin on multiple occasions, he’ll be back in mid-June for his official visit, and he’s become arguably the most solid commitment in the UT class.
Murphy, out of Gardena (CA) Serra, is so locked in with his Texas pledge that he doesn’t even talk to college coaches from any other programs. The UT official visit will “for sure” be the only trip he takes, and he’s ready to put his recruiting hat on to help bring other top prospects with him to Austin.
“Really, I’m trying to pick up some new commits. We have about eight guys coming that weekend that aren’t committed but have a high interest in us, so I’m really going to try to push that, really try to influence that aspect, try to get them committed and get them to be my new teammates,” Murphy said.
It doesn’t matter if it’s offensive or defensive prospects, Murphy said he’s trying to bring in anyone who can help take the Texas program to the next level. Among his top targets is longtime friend and fellow Rivals100 member CJ Williams.
“I’ll be on him for sure. He’s going to be there. There are some other out-of-state guys that will be there. It’s definitely going to be a big weekend” Murphy said. “I’m focused on whoever. I want to have the best team as possible and we can’t just win games with offense.”
The 6-5, 235-pound Murphy has developed a strong relationship with the Texas coaching staff, particularly quarterbacks coach AJ Milwee, since the new coaches arrived in Austin. He and Milwee communicate every single day, and Murphy said their connection goes beyond just football.
I have a great relationship with coach Milwee. I like that we can talk about other things besides football,” Murphy said. “Every day, it’s not just football-based. He’ll ask me how I’m doing, what I’m eating, how my day’s going, how school is going. Really just anything, just keeping the conversation going, building that relationship because that’s going to be the guy I talk to for the next three or four years.”
Murphy has never wavered since making his commitment, and he said he feels as solid as ever. He’ll graduate high school in December and will be an early enrollee at Texas in the spring of 2022.
“I felt like it was a good time to do it. My birthday was coming up and that was the day that I made the post, made it public. I just couldn’t find a better time to do it,” Murphy said. “It felt like the best situation for me. I went with it, went with the gut feeling and I haven’t backed off since.”
A four-star prospect, Murphy ranks No. 48 on the Rivals100.
