Miami Hurricanes QB D’Eriq King ready to lead again after devastating injury

In December of 2020, Miami Hurricanes fans bit their nails as quarterback D’Eriq King lay on his back, gripping his knee in pain. With the Hurricanes trailing in the Cheeze-It Bowl against Oklahoma State. King scrambled to his right before being hit by an Oklahoma State defender.

After the hit, King flipped, landed on his back, and immediately grabbed his right knee. It would be made official just two days after the game, on December 31, that King had suffered from a torn ACL, one of the worst injuries for an athlete to face.

On December 26, three days before the Cheeze-It Bowl and his injury, King announced that he would return to the U. After his injury, Miami Hurricanes fans pondered the next time they would see their star QB on the field.

Less than nine months later, on September 4, King will take the field and lead the Miami Hurricanes into Atlanta to face the reigning champion Alabama Crimson Tide. ACL injuries normally take up to nine months to completely recover, but King wanted to be out there with his team as early as possible

Even NFL running back Adrian Peterson, who recovered from an ACL injury in what seemed like record time, took a larger break in between football games than King will have when he takes the field for the Hurricanes against Alabama on Saturday. King was reported as saying that he feels “100 percent” as recently as mid-July.

The return to health has been a huge boost for the Miami Hurricanes as King is their leader both on and off the field. King being back provides a major spark for the Hurricane offense. He is a potential Heisman Trophy candidate and is one of the most dynamic players in college football.

The Crimson Tide is going to be as tough of a first game as possible for King and Miami. Miami is up to the test, seeking vengeance from the losses to North Carolina and Oklahoma State to end their 2020 season, and looking to build off a strong first half of the year.