Miami Hurricanes QB D’Eriq King candidate for major ACC preseason honors

Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King is a major candidate for first-team All-ACC quarterback and the preseason player of the year when the honors are announced Friday. The ACC is holding its annual kickoff on Wednesday and Thursday in Charlotte. ACC Kickoff was held remotely in 2020 because of COVID.

King, Miami wide receiver Mike Harley and safety Bubba Bolden are joining head coach Manny Diaz as the Hurricanes representatives in Charlotte. King is the prototype QB for offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee in the up-tempo, spread offense Miami runs. The Hurricanes ran a spread for the first time in 2020.

King was named to the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Awards earlier this week. In the ACC, King will be competing with North Carolina QB Sam Howell and D.J. Uiagalelei of Clemson for first-team All-ACC and ACC preseason player of the year. The media will vote on those honors and it will be announced on Friday.

King is fifth among returning ACC QBs in passing yards per game entering the 2021 season. Six of the top seven ACC passers return this fall. King ranks fifth among returning ACC QBs in rushing yards from 2020. CBS sports profiled the race between King, Howell and Uiagalelei to be the ACC’s top player and QB in 2021.

"Debate for QB1 and Player of the Year I predict that North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell will end up beating out D.J. Uiagalelei and D’Eriq King as the top quarterback in the ACC, but I think the debate is among the most interesting that the league (h)as seen at the position in quite some time.We’ll see this debate play out in two areas: the Preseason All-ACC lists and the Player of the Year race.While Howell has the most experience with his current team…Uiagalelei has proven himself ready to lead Clemson on a big stage while King’s arrival as a transfer from Houston provided the spark that helped Miami’s offense take massive steps forward in 2020.Also, all three quarterbacks are scheduled to be in attendance (at ACC Kickoff) and will have a chance to make an impression with the voting media before ballots are due on Friday."

The Miami Hurricanes play at North Carolina on October 16. Clemson does not play the Hurricanes or the Tar Heels in 2021. The Tigers defeated both teams in 2020. Clemson is the overwhelming favorite to repeat in the ACC Atlantic. Miami and North Carolina are the cofavorites in the Coastal Division.

How well King performs in the season opener against Alabama and Uiagalelei’s performance against Georgia in the season openers could determine the race for the top player and QB in the ACC. King struggled against Clemson last season. The Miami Hurricanes need a strong performance from King against Alabama.

The ACC has at least a half dozen QBs on various watch lists entering the 2021 season. Competition for the three spots to be named All-ACC will be fierce in 2021. If King, Howell, or Uiagalelei do not live up to their projected 2021 seasons, they will be challenged for All-ACC.