D’Eriq King is a sneaky-good Heisman dark horse pick

D’Eriq King has big plans after transferring to The U. Here is why the new Miami Hurricanes quarterback is a sneaky-good dark horse pick for the Heisman.

There is a huge opportunity ahead for quarterback D’Eriq King at the University of Miami.

The former Houston Cougars quarterback opted to sit out the final eight games of what should have been his senior season under Dana Holgorsen. King’s time at U of H was tumultuous at best, but he did have his moments under center for the Cougars. He completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 4,952 yards, 50 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions over parts of four seasons.

King isn’t just a terrific passer, but adept as a ball carrier as well. He scampered for 1,421 yards on 253 carries for 28 touchdowns playing for predominantly Major Applewhite and briefly Holgorsen. Though the Cougars are probably good enough this year to get back to a bowl game, King quite literally took his talents to South Beach and could have a special season ahead of him.

It might sound crazy, but King is a sneaky-good dark horse candidate to win the Heisman. Here are the latest 2020 Heisman Trophy odds, via William Hill.

2020 Heisman Trophy Odds

King has the sixth-best odds to win the Heisman at +2000, trailing only five other Power 5 signal-callers. Ahead of him are Ohio State’s Justin Fields (+350), Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (+400), Georgia’s Jamie Newman (+1000), Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler (+1200) and Texas’ Sam Ehlinger (+1800).

Fields and Lawrence are the clear front runners here. If both of them aren’t in New York in December, something went horribly for them in their true junior seasons. While Rattler is entering his first year as the starter, Newman and Ehlinger have ample starting experience at Power 5 schools. Like King, Newman is a graduate transfer, as he used to star for Wake Forest in the ACC.

What is interesting is who King has better Heisman odds up to this point over. He edges out a pair of certain First-Team All-Americans at running back in Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard, both at +2200, and three quarterbacks who play for blue-blood programs: Alabama’s Mac Jones (+2200), LSU’s Myles Brennan (+2800) and Notre Dame’s Ian Book (+2800).

So what do these latest odds tell us really? In a way, it signifies who will be playing in meaningful bowl games this holiday season. Last year, the ACC Coastal was down so much the Virginia Cavaliers won it. By adding King to the quarterback room, one would think Manny Diaz‘s Canes are the favorite to meet Clemson in the ACC Championship game in Charlotte.

Miami had a brief moment under former head coach Mark Richt in 2017 before everything hit the fan. This is a program that needs to be good for the ACC to be good. If King helps makes the Canes relevant during his redshirt senior season, it’ll improve his stock in the eyes of Heisman voters. His ample college experience and dual-threat playmaking abilities give him a real shot here to win it.

While some might foolishly knock King’s abilities because he played in The American at Houston, keep in mind who he forced to ride pine in high school: Florida Gators starting quarterback Kyle Trask. It’s remarkable really that two former high school teammates in Manvel, Texas are leading two of Florida’s Power 5 programs’ offenses this fall. Both are serious 2020 Heisman candidates.

Though King is really only a dark horse at this point, he does play at the right program in the right division to put the spotlight on him and his potential Heisman candidacy. In short, if he plays well, Miami will be a top-25 team, one capable of winning around 10 games and getting to Charlotte as ACC Coastal Champions.

King winning the Heisman is nothing more than a long shot at this point, but his arrival in Coral Gables should be fascinating.

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