Healthy Murphy makes his spring debut
AUSTIN — It’s a little unusual that a 6-foot-5, 235 pound blue-chip quarterback prospect has been dwarfed ever since arriving at Texas in January 2022. But that’s been life for redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy — through no fault of his own.
The former four-star recruit suffered a severe ankle injury while leading Junipero Serra (Gardena, Calif.) to a state championship in his final high school outing in December 2021. That injury lingered and prevented Murphy, an early enrollee, from fully participating in spring practice last year.
Though Murphy served as the Longhorns’ scout team quarterback and backed up starter Quinn Ewers in the Alamo Bowl, he didn’t see the field as a freshman and suffered another setback with a foot injury prior to the start of this year’s spring workouts.
But on Tuesday, when the players returned from spring break, Murphy was dropping back and slinging darts at Royal-memorial Stadium alongside sophomore Ewers and ballyhooed freshman Arch Manning.
“It was great to have Maalik back out there,” third-year Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said following practice. “He had a minor setback at the end of winter conditioning. We were probably a little bit conservative with him that first week thinking, ‘OK, if we back off him the first week of spring ball and give him spring break then he can get back and be going back again here in the second week of spring ball.’”
Murphy cuts an imposing figure for a QB. He’s the same height and just three pounds lighter than Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen, an NFL All-pro with a howitzer for an arm.
Despite playing with an injured collarbone for most of his senior season, Murphy completed 202-of-321 passes (.629) for 2,954 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while rushing for six more touchdowns.
The starting job is still Ewers’ to lose. But in these early days, no one’s role is set in stone. Sarkisian hopes both Manning and Murphy push the incumbent throughout the spring and into the summer.
“Every position is an open competition,” Sarkisian said. “Everybody should strive to be the best that they can be.
“Ultimately, can Maalik push Quinn? Of course he can. How far can he take it? Quinn’s job is to keep raising his level of play so he (Maalik) can’t catch him. And that should be at every position across the board.”
Brooks, Neyor get back on the field
Murphy wasn’t the only fresh face on the field Tuesday.
Redshirt sophomore running back Jonathon Brooks made his first appearance of the spring following hernia surgery. The former Hallettsville star is expected to assume a more substantial role this year as Sarkisian attempts the task of replacing Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, who formed arguably the best halfback tandem in the nation last season.
Brooks is the team’s leading returning rusher after recording 204 yards and five touchdowns on 30 carries in 2022. Senior Keilan Robinson, sophomore Jaydon Blue, converted sophomore wide receiver Savion Red and five-star freshman CJ Baxter are all competing with Brooks for reps.
“I thought Jonathon looked good,” Sarkisian said. “First day back coming off the surgery in the offseason, he looks strong.
You can feel like his body is changing. Definitely a confident player going into Year 3. And that’s a positive thing. That room has got great competition as well.”
The sight of senior wideout Isaiah Neyor running routes and snaring balls was perhaps the most encouraging development on a Tuesday morning featuring some other noteworthy returns.
Neyor tore his ACL last August and spent the entire season rehabbing from surgery. The 2021 All-mountain West honoree and Wyoming transfer still has a ways to go in his recovery — Neyor is practicing with a right knee brace — but his presence Tuesday even in a limited capacity was a promising sign.
“We’re monitoring reps, obviously,” Sarkisian said. “But it was good to get him – he’s looked as good as he’s looked. I think his rehab has gone really well for him. Not only physically but mentally. Anytime you have surgery like that as much as it is the physical rehab it’s the mental rehab. But I think he’s dialed into it.”
In his sophomore season at Wyoming, the 6-3 Neyor led the team with 44 receptions for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns. He accounted for 41.5 percent of the Cowboys’ receiving yards and 80 percent of their receiving touchdowns.