Duke QB Maalik Murphy enters portal, won’t play against Ole Miss in Gator Bowl

On December 10, 2024By Littum

The Ole Miss Rebels and Duke Blue Devils both enter this season’s Gator Bowl matchup with 9-3 records, but it looks like the team from the ACC will come up shorthanded on offense.

According to reports from Pete Thamel on Monday night, Duke quarterback Maalik Murphy plans to enter the transfer portal and therefore will not suit up for the Blue Devils when they take on Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Murphy will not play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Ole Miss, he told ESPN. Murphy earned the backup quarterback spot at Texas in 2023 and started two games for the Longhorns. He threw for 477 yards and three touchdowns in 2023.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) 10 December 2024

This is clearly a big blow to a Duke offense that benefited greatly from Murphy’s production in 2024. He set a school record with 26 touchdown passes this season while throwing for 2,933 yards in the process.

Ole Miss, on the other hand, expects to have its star quarterback suit up in this contest as Jaxson Dart announced Monday night that he was prepared for “the last one” with the Rebels in early January. Bowl games are often full of opt-outs, but the more players that Ole Miss can hang on to in the coming days, the better chance it will have to secure its 10th win of the season.

The Rebels also received confirmed participation announcements from wide receiver Jordan Watkins and defensive backs Trey Amos and Trey Washington.

Kickoff on January 2nd between Ole Miss and Duke in the Gator Bowl is set for 6:30pm CT on ESPN.