One of the questions entering the 2020 season is how well new Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King will play transferring from group of five program Houston to Power Five Program Miami. King has had success when playing against the Group of Five.
New Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King had success against Power Five programs while playing for Houston a member of the Amerian Athletic Conference. The move from the Cougars to the Hurricanes has some questioning how King will fare allegedly moving up a level in college football.
In parts of three seasons as a QB and in two games at wide receiver, King has performed at a high level against Power Five teams. In four games at QB and two at WR, King completed 54.4 percent of his passes for 972 yards 12 touchdowns, no interceptions and 138.2 passer rating throwing the football.
King added 52 carries for 281 yards and six touchdowns rushing and caught eight passes for 78 yards. If King had played his first four seasons at a power five school, the likelihood is that he would be recognized as a superstar in college football. With the Miami Hurricanes, King might become a superstar in 2020.
The very first game of King’s college football career was as a WR against Oklahoma in 2016. As a true freshman, he caught three passes for 28 yards. Those numbers were clearly pedestrian, but a good showing for someone in their first game as a collegian. The Miami Hurricanes won’t use King as a WR.
The Cougars 33-23 upset over Oklahoma was the only game King would play against a Power Five team in his freshman season as the Cougars went 9-4. King finished his freshman season with 20 yards passing, 56 rushing and 29 receptions for 228 yards receiving and one TD reception.
King added 10 kickoff returns for 254 yards and another TD in 2016. King played in one game against a Power Five team as a sophomore with Houston. He caught five passes for 50 yards and ran four times for six yards in a 27-24 Cougars loss to Texas Tech. King played the entire 2018 season at QB.
The 5’11 signal-caller took over as the Houston QB for the final five games of the 2017 season. Houston had already completed half their season by then and did not play any power five teams the remainder of the season. King began the 2018 season as the Cougars starting QB. He missed the final three games with an injury.
Houston defeated Arizona and lost to Texas Tech in the Cougars two games against Power Five teams with King at QB in 2018. King completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 679 yards, nine touchdowns, no interceptions and added 16 carries for 78 yards and three TDs against the Wildcats and Red Raiders.
Top Transfer QBs 2020
— The GM of College Football (@GrandMasterCFB) March 11, 2020
(@247Sports)
1) Jamie Newman (Georgia)
2) D’Eriq King (Miami Fl)
3) KJ Costello (Miss State)
4) Feleipe Franks (Arkansas)
5) Peyton Ramsey (Northwestern)
6) Jake Bentley (Utah)
7) Chase Brice (Duke) pic.twitter.com/6L2WbkATiv
King was an elite QB in 2018. He finished the season completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,982 yards passing, 36 TDs, six interceptions and a 167 passer rating. He entered 2019 with longshot hopes at the Heisman Trophy. Ty Detmer of BYU in 1990 was the last player from a non-major program to win the Heisman Trophy.
King was not able to duplicate the exceptional numbers he put up against Arizona and Texas Tech in 2018 in Houston’s games against Oklahoma and Washington State in 2019. He completed 27 of 51 attempts for 295 yards, three TDs and no INTs and added 197 yards on 32 carries with three more TDs on the ground.
Although not nearly as spectacular the 492 yards of total offense and six TDs without a INT are still elite numbers by most measures. When the Sooners and Cougars stifled King through the air he was able to create offense with his feet. The type of dynamic player King should be for Miami is unprecedented at QB for the Hurricanes.