Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King is the 23rd ranked player and third-best signal-caller in rankings of the Top 50 players in College Football for the 2021 season by Pro Football Focus. King had a scintillating first season with Miami in 2021. King completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,686 yards, 23 TDs and five interceptions.
King provided Miami the perfect dual-threat QB in their first season in the up-tempo spread offense. Equally adept as a running, King added 538 yards and four TDs on the ground in 2020. King was highly rated as a passer and runner by PFF in 2020. The return by King for the 2021 season is a huge boost for the Miami offense.
King leads 10 returning starters on the Miami Hurricanes offense for 2021. No other player on the Miami football team is ranked in the PFF Top 50. Only the Top 50 players were ranked by PFF for 2021. Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma who is first and Sam Howell of North Carolina who is 12th are the QBs ranked ahead of King.
King was dynamic in his first season with Miami Hurricanes seemingly willing King to victory at times. Against North Carolina State King became the first player to pass for 400 yards and run for 100 in a game since he accomplished the same against South Florida in 2018 playing for Houston. Few players can be a dual-threat like King.
D'Eriq King: Most rushing yards AFTER contact last season among any returning QB (424) 💪 pic.twitter.com/FX8TKzdcd7
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 2, 2021
"23. QB D’ERIQ KING, MIAMI (FL.)The U was hoping for an elite dual-threat quarterback in 2020 — and, boy, did King deliver. He made tons of plays both through the air and on the ground in his first season with the Hurricanes, resulting in a 90.6 PFF grade for the season that ranked 10th in the FBS. And now they get him for another year.On 111 runs — 85 designed and 26 scrambles — King totaled 26 rushes of 10 or more yards. He produced more than 10 yards after contact on 13 of those rushes, the most at the position. The 5-foot-11, 202-pound quarterback also rarely put the ball in harm’s way.He consistently made the right decision and came in at No. 3 in the FBS in turnover-worthy play rate (1.7%).Miami will be a dangerous team in 2021, assuming King fully recovers from the torn ACL he suffered in the Cheez-It Bowl and is ready to rock Week 1."
The combination of making a big play through passing and running and his ability to avoid turnovers will make King a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2021. Miami should continue to evolve on offense in their second season with King at QB and Rhett Lashlee as offensive coordinator. King can become a Miami legend.
If King maintains his pace of 2020, he can break the all-time Miami record of 3,588 total yards in a season set by former QB Malik Rosier in 2017. Milestone games against Alabama in the season opener and North Carolina on October 16 will likely determine if King has a chance to be a true Heisman Trophy contender.