CORVALLIS — With a gaggle of media members perched on the edge of Oregon State football’s practice fields, Maalik Murphy saw an opportunity.

“Can I go before coach?” he asked reporters with a grin.

Murphy tried to hustle over, but Beavers coach Trent Bray cut his 6-5 signal-caller off and told him to wait. They both laughed.

“He’s just got great leadership skills,” Bray later said of Murphy. “He’s vocal, the guys like him, and he gets along with everyone on the team. He does the work. He’s not afraid to work. He’s got great leadership not only from a vocal standpoint but from a visual standpoint. They can see it.”

By the time Murphy strode up to the cameras, he had completed his first fall practice as OSU’s presumptive starting quarterback, zipping passes around the field and chopping it up with teammates during every drill. Positive energy radiated from behind his face mask.

A transfer from Duke, Murphy was the biggest acquisition of the offseason for the Beavers, garnering a reported $1.5 million NIL payday and creating a palpable buzz around a program desperate to improve its offensive balance.

This doesn’t seem like just another stop on the road for the two-time transfer Murphy, who began his career at Texas before ending up at Duke. The junior previously said he intends to finish his collegiate career at OSU.

2024 was his first season as a full-time starter with Duke, and he is now a leader for an OSU team resting much of its collective hope on his broad shoulders.

“I have a strong opinion in the locker room, and I think the guys respect what I’m talking about when I open my mouth,” Murphy said. “That’s huge as a quarterback and a leader, for sure. That keeps me on my toes as well not to give them a false hope or just chatting. Giving them real words of encouragement, whether that’s making sure everyone is on-time, making sure everybody is working as hard as they possibly can. Letting them know they can hold me accountable as well.”

Oregon State University football practice: July 30, 2025Oregon State quarterback Maalik Murphy winds up to throw the ball during the Beavers’ practice on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 in Corvallis.Leon Neuschwander, for The Oregonian/OregonLive

Murphy didn’t show up with the expectation that his new teammates would look to him for guidance: he spent the winter, spring and summer nurturing relationships with players in every position group and establishing himself as the voice at the heart of the Beavers’ locker room.

That included throwing with his wide receivers six days a week during the summer, according to top target Trent Walker, and intentional time away from football bonding with other teammates around Corvallis. Activities like bowling, playing the NCAA football video game, and eating at favorite restaurant TacoVino.

Running back Anthony Hankerson calls him “Magic Maalik,” raving about the added dimension Murphy brings to OSU’s offense though the air — particularly the deep ball. That is something Walker said he and Murphy worked on a lot in their throwing sessions.

“Maalik is a great dude,” Walker said. “We went at it this summer. We wanted to attack the summer a little bit differently because we wanted a different result this season. We had to do something different.”

It wasn’t a perfect final season at Duke, by Murphy’s admission. He threw for 26 touchdowns and showcased elite ability on the deep ball, but he also threw 12 interceptions.

He chalks that up to inexperience, and has pored over his Duke film since arriving in Corvallis to find out where he can improve and protect the ball better. He is primarily a pocket passer, but showcased his ability to move in and out of the pocket in OSU’s spring game.

Limiting interceptions is front of mind.

“Just got to mature,” Murphy said. “That was my first year starting as a full-time quarterback in college, so it was huge. It was a big stepping stone for me to get those games under my belt so now, going into this season, I can — not know what to expect — but I have a pretty good feel for the game. I could be more efficient and I’m able to watch myself and see on tape what I can improve on.”

The willingness to attack his weaknesses, combined with evident leadership and ever-growing camaraderie with his teammates, is part of why coaches appear so eager to hand Murphy the keys. This team will likely go as far as he takes them.

“He is way more comfortable with the offense having gone through spring. And that’s really what it is for him,” Bray said. “He’s got all the physical ability to get it done, and now it’s just running those plays over and over, doing those reads over and over so he’s sharp by the time we line up against Cal.”

Ryan Clarke covers the Oregon State Beavers for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at RClarke@Oregonian.com or on Twitter/X: @RyanTClarke. Find him on Bluesky: @ryantclarke.bsky.social.

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