Maalik Murphy, QB
Quarterback Maalik Murphy played a critical role as the backup signal-caller who led the Longhorns to two wins as a starter when Quinn Ewers went down with an upper-body injury during the 2023 season. He led the Longhorns to two Big 12 wins, including a clutch overtime victory over a top 25 Kansas State team.
Last offseason, Murphy transferred to Duke and won the starting quarterback job for the Devils. He threw for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading Duke to a nine-win regular season for the first time in a decade.
Despite Murphy having a tremendous season for the Blue Devils last fall, he didn't stick around with head coach Manny Diaz in Durham going into the 2025 offseason.
Murphy hit the transfer portal for the second time in as many offseasons to join the Oregon State Beavers on the West Coast for the 2025 season.
Cameron Rising, QB
Cameron Rising was the first West Coast quarterback that Tim Beck and former Texas head coach Tom Herman recruited to Texas in the late 2010s. Rising and fellow 2018 blue-chip quarterback signee Casey Thompson were supposed to be a significant part of the future of Texas's QB room in the late 2010s and 2020s.
After spending the first year of his collegiate career at Texas, Rising transferred to Utah during the 2019 offseason. Rising led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships and double-digit win seasons in 2021 and 2022.
Had it not been for recurring injuries in the past couple of years, Rising would've easily gone down as the best Utah quarterback of the 21st century. Despite missing pretty much the entire last two campaigns, Rising still ranks fourth in all-time passing touchdowns and sixth in passing yards in Utah football history.