Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian’s first year made his first major success on the recruiting trail on Saturday, securing the commitment of Class of 2022 five-star quarterback Maalik Murphy. Murphy was committed to the Longhorns because of a long list of suitors that included Alabama, UCLA, Oregon and Auburn. It is Sarkisian’s first five-star promise in Texas since he took office last month and a key piece for the program to build on its first full recruitment cycle.
Murphy’s commitment closes a hole in a position of need after Quinn Ewers, candidate for five-star quarterback, ranked as the largest general prospect in the 2022 class, gave up his commitment to Texas last fall and later committed to the Ohio state. He occupies the 30th place in the 247Sports Composite and the second nationally among all professional style perspectives.
A burly quarterback with a strong arm, Murphy jumped on the Texas radar when former coach Tom Herman and his team awarded him a scholarship in 2019. But when Sarkisian took over the reins last month, it looks like they prioritized Murphy engagement , who paid quickly.
“I think he is the perfect coach to prepare me for the next level,” Murphy told 247Sports. “He’s a guy from Cali and someone I’m very comfortable with. I see what he’s done in the past and how he develops defenders and I think he can help me achieve my goals, which are playing in the NFL. I love his offending and I think I fit in very well with what he wants to do in terms of the scheme. “
The 2022 commitment class for Texas remains weak, given the cycle that has just started and Sarkisian is really starting to prepare for the sea. But with Murphy in the fold, the class ranks among the top 10 nationally and second among all 12 major teams, behind Oklahoma. Most importantly, Murphy, a California native, could make Sarkisian really explore his ties to the west coast, which could help attract other targets in the region.
“I think Texas has everything in place to run,” added Murphy. “They can recruit nationally and I’m already seeing that with some of the guys I’ve been talking to. There are a ton of talent over there in Texas, but they can go out and recruit players from all over the country and that’s really exciting for me.”