5 potential transfer destinations for Houston quarterback D’Eriq King: Could LSU be a fit?

Houston quarterback has entered the transfer portal and could be an option for the national champion LSU Tigers to replace Joe Burrow.

In September, as part of what appeared to be a broader strategy at Houston, quarterback D’Eriq King took a redshirt season for the 2019 campaign. Reports have waffled between him transferring or not, but on Monday night King took to Twitter to concisely announce he has indeed entered the transfer portal.

King is a graduate transfer and eligible to play next season, so he immediately becomes the top target for any significant school looking to land a quarterback. In his last full season as the Cougars’ signal-caller, he was one of the top dual threats in the country, throwing for 2,982 yards and rushing for 674 more with 50 total touchdowns (36 passing, 14 rushing), just six interceptions and a 167.0 passer rating. Early this past season, he tied Tim Tebow‘s record with a rushing and passing touchdown on 15 straight games.

Here are five possible transfer destinations for King.

Honorable mentions: Michigan State, Mississippi State, Arizona, Washington

5. Miami (FL)

A big part of the decline of Hurricanes’ football in recent years has been the struggle to find a suitable quarterback. So King is easily on the radar, and InsideTheU.com has confirmed Miami’s interest. If he went to Miami, King would play in a comparatively weak ACC along with a clear path to a starting job. Head coach Manny Diaz‘s early indication of an open quarterback competition would go away immediately if King decided “The U” is the place to be.

4. Oklahoma

Jalen Hurts will be gone after a lone season as the Sooners’ signal-caller, so Lincoln Riley may bel looking for another experienced quarterback to run his high-flying offense. The idea of King’s dual-threat ability against Big 12 defenses is quite enticing, and Riley spoke highly of the then-Houston quarterback after the 2019 season opener against his team.

“Like a lot of guys that are a little bit shorter, not much different than some of the guys we had here, occasionally it causes people to back off,” Riley told 247Sports. “But there’s a lot of people now that would love to have him.

Oklahoma has former five-star recruit Spencer Rattler waiting for his opportunity after backing up Hurts as a freshman this season. Should Oklahoma take King, it could also mean that Rattler enters the portal and leaves Oklahoma looking for another transfer in 2021.

3. Oregon

According to Bleacher Report, when he was a freshman serving as an emergency wide receiver at Houston, King’s father made contact with Oregon about a possible transfer. It’s a different coaching staff in Eugene now, but Mario Cristobal also has to replace Justin Herbert next year and there was some interest in Jamie Newman on the grad transfer market before he landed at Georgia. King would be a heck of an option for the Ducks as a one-year filler before former four-star recruit Tyler Shough takes over.

2. Arkansas

Kendal Briles was the offensive coordinator at Houston during King’s fantastic 2018 campaign, and he’s now the coordinator for new head coach Sam Pittman at Arkansas. Somehow the Razorbacks’ 2020 recruiting class is currently without a quarterback, and two players immediately tried to recruit King to Fayetteville. Reuniting with Briles and playing in the SEC might make Arkansas the perfect spot for King.

1. LSU

Speaking of the SEC, the national champions have to replace Heisman Trophy winner and former transfer, Joe Burrow, and the options don’t necessarily look formidable right now. LSU also has to replace Joe Brady who left to take the offensive coordinator’s job with the Carolina Panthers. If King likes LSU, he may want to wait to see who Ed Orgeron replaces on the staff with incumbent coordinator Steve Ensminger. If LSU wants to roll the dice on the transfer portal, King is the best option and could provide Heisman-caliber numbers as a dual-threat. Plus, the lure of playing for the reigning champs and throwing to Ja’Marr Chase is enticing.

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