Texas Longhorns QB Commit Maalik Murphy Poised To Make Noise In Elite 11 Finals

Texas Longhorns QB Commitment Maalik Murphy is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the 2022 class, and his performance at the recent Elite 11 Los Angeles Camp proved it. Can he build on that performance in the finals?

Matt Galatzan | Jun 30, 2021

When Maalik Murphy pledged to the Texas Longhorns this past February, few Longhorns fans knew exactly what they would be getting from the 6-foot-4, 225-pound prospect.

After all, Murphy had yet to suit up as a starter for Junipero Serra (Gardena, CA) at the varsity level. And with California delaying its high school football season until mid-March, fans would have to wait even longer to catch a glimpse of Murphy on the gridiron, and see if he really was worth the hype.

Despite this, Murphy's stock has remained as high as ever, soaring to the top of nearly every quarterback list or ranking in the industry, and securing him his place among the nation's elite.

Recently, Murphy took that stock to yet another level, tearing up the Elite 11 Los Angeles Camp on his way to earning an invite to the Elite 11 Finals later this weekend.

Suffice it to say, that excitement from Murphy is justified, with the blue-chip recruit leading the Serra Cavaliers to a 4-2 record in his junior campaign, and throwing for 1,261 yards and nine touchdowns in six just games, while completing 55.2-percent of his passes, with four interceptions and an 88.5 quarterback rating.

"I want people to know my love for the game and how excited I am about just getting a sniff of my junior year," Murphy said before the season began. "It's been a crazy time with everything going on, but I've never given up, (never) got side-tracked. I kept my main goal in front of my head and just kept working ... getting stronger, getting faster, getting smarter.''

Behind Murphy's leadership, Serra has also finished in a three-way tie for the top spot in the Mission League with Alemany and Chaminade High School and placing them at No. 30 in the California State rankings.

Murphy, who becomes the 11th Longhorn commit to gain an invite to the Elite 11 Finals, will face tough competition in the Finals event, where he will face off against former Longhorns commit Quinn Ewers (Ohio State), Walker Howard (LSU), Ty Simpson (Alabama), Connor Weigman (Texas A&M), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Gavin Wimsatt (Rutgers), Drew Allar (Penn State), Jacurri Brown (Miami), Devin Brown (USC), Nick Evers (Florida), Tayven Jackson (Tennessee), Katin Houser (uncommitted), AJ Swann (Maryland), Zach Pyron (Baylor), and Luther Richesson (uncommitted).

Other Longhorns to make the trip include Hudson Card (2019), Roschon Johnson (2018), Sam Ehlinger (2016), Shane Buechele (2015), Jerrod Heard (2013), Tyrone Swoopes (2012), Garrett Gilbert (2008), Jevan Snead (2005), Vince Young (2001) and Chance Mock (1999).

What do you think of Murphy's chances at Elite 11? Comment and join in on the discussion below!

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Published Jun 30, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.