It looks like the ACC will lose an elite quarterback to the transfer portal, and once again, it’s Duke that will take the hit.
Last season, Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard left the program to transfer to Notre Dame, where he helped the Irish into the 12-team College Football Playoff.
As a consolation prize, Duke welcomed quarterback Maalik Murphy from Texas to replace Leonard as the starting quarterback.
Now Murphy is on his way out, and the Blue Devils are searching for a new signal-caller.
Welcome to college football’s version of one-and-done.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Murphy doesn’t find his way to South Bend.
In this case, it’s hard to feel sorry for Duke; they should be used to this now.
But in all seriousness, this is another negative consequence of the instant transfer environment in college sports.
The 6’ 5” Murphy threw 26 touchdown passes while starting all 12 games for Duke (9-3) this season.
Murphy totaled over 2,900 yards of passing, helping Duke to its most regular-season wins since 2014.
Now Duke starts over.
Because Murphy has two seasons of eligibility remaining, he will command a massive NIL deal from his next school.
Meanwhile, Duke prepares for the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl against Ole Miss with a quarterback other than Maalik Murphy.
Duke’s best quarterback option is Henry Belin, who did have a high completion rate this season. He was 1-for-1 and appeared in three games.
In the new world order of college sports free agency, Duke coach Manny Diaz will pore over the transfer portal in hopes of landing a transfer quarterback.
And he won’t be the only coach scouring the portal for bodies, err, players.
Quarterbacks will get the most attention in the portal, and for obvious reasons.
In the 12-team CFP field this season, five quarterbacks who transferred from other schools will lead their new team into the playoffs.
Leonard at ND, Oregon’s Dillion Gabriel, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, and Kurtis Rourke at Indiana arrived via the transfer portal.
No doubt, the transfer portal has transformed college sports.
But has it been a positive?
I guess it depends on who you ask.
For the student-athletes, it allows them to change schools easily.
But is that a good thing?
About a third of the athletes who enter the transfer portal end up not finding a new school, ending their college careers.
That’s the downside no one talks about.
Another risk vs. reward situation
Many programs struggle with both recruiting and retention.
They heavily invest time and money in developing and, yes, occasionally educating these student-athletes, only to unexpectedly lose them.
I’ve picked on the transfer portal, but don’t forget about NIL; they make solid bed partners.
Players with instant transfer ability are free to seek programs that offer better NIL deals (more money), which is the driving force behind most transfers.
How do we fix this?
Stop pretending the players are student-athletes and treat them like employees.
Employees have collective bargaining rights and can negotiate as professional athletes do.
And the institutions?
They will have the same rights as professional sports franchises.
They can sign, retain, and release players per the status of their contractual agreement.
It works well in professional sports.
It’s now time to accept that college sports require the same model.
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