Rivals names Miami Hurricanes D’Eriq King third best transfer QB

Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King continues to receive offseason accolades after being named the third best transfer signal-caller ahead of the 2020 season.

D’Eriq King is expected to upgrade the entire Miami Hurricanes offense in 2020. King brings a dual-threat dynamic passing and running the football that had the Miami football team has not had in their history. King had 2,982 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions and 674 rushing yards and another 14 TDs.

Teams will have to prepare for Miami differently in 2020 because of King than they have in past seasons from the Hurricanes quarterback. Miami threw for 3,239 yards, 27 TDs and 10 interceptions last season. The Miami Hurricanes QBs ran for -17 yards and two TDs in 2019, this includes yards lost on sacks.

King is one of the most versatile athletes in college football, especially at QB. During his tenure with Houston, King had TDs rushing, receiving, passing and on a kick return. New Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee will be able to be creative with the offense because of King. The Miami offense will be more interesting to watch.

A Rivals.Com article last week highlighted the top 45 transfer QBs nationally in 2020. King was third. Only Jamie Newman from Wake Forest to Georgia and K.J. Costello from Stanford to Mississipi State were ranked ahead of King. The Hurricanes signed King before Costello decided to take his talents to Starkville.

"As a recruit: King initially committed to TCU as an athlete, but then changed his mind because of his desire to play quarterback full time at the college level. Houston immediately became a favorite, with then-coach Tom Herman making him a priority. Soon after, in late December, he committed to the Cougars.At Houston: Despite coming to Houston because he wanted to play quarterback, King actually started his career at wide receiver. He caught 29 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season before moving to quarterback full time late in the season.During his sophomore year, he split time between both positions again, starting three games at wide receiver before finishing the year as the Cougars’ full-time starter. In 2018, he had one of the best years in program history, setting a conference record with 50 touchdowns despite missing two games.That season he threw for nearly 3,000 yards while rushing for 674 more. He entered 2019 as a dark horse Heisman contender, but played only four games before electing to sit out the rest of the year and preserve a year of eligibility.Despite saying at the time he had no plans to transfer, King did enter the portal following the season and quickly landed at Miami for his final year of eligibility.Farrell’s Take: “King had an amazing season at Houston a few years ago, and he can really drive defenses crazy with his ability to extend the play. He should take the Miami offense to the next level and will make the Hurricanes much more dangerous because of what he can do on the run.”Impact rating: 9.1 out of 10"

King has established himself among the nation’s elite QBs with his performance at Houston in 2018. The presence of King makes preparing for the Miami offense much more difficult for opponents that it has been in past seasons. Lashlee will have a plethora of play-calling opportunities to utilizatize.

The criticism of King sitting out after the first four games of the 2019 season in unwarranted. Lashlee started earlier this offseason that King was approached by Houston head coach Dana Holgersen and the Cougars coaching staff about redshirting after they started 1-3 in 2019. It was not King’s initial idea to redshirt.