D’Eriq King coming back for one more season at Miami

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 19: D' Eriq King #1 of the Miami Hurricanes (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 19: D' Eriq King #1 of the Miami Hurricanes (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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D’Eriq King is going to return to Miami after a standout first season in Coral Gables.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King showed that he is clearly a cut above the likes of Jarren Williams, Tate Martell, Malik Rosier, and many of the other substandard Hurricane signal callers that have held this team back in the last few years. While most expected King to bolt for the pros after this season, he gave Hurricane Nation a holiday surprise by choosing to re-up with Manny Diaz.

Thanks to a loophole created as a result of the NCAA’s COVID-19 protocols, King was allowed one extra year of eligibility. He will use up that year in 2021, as he will return to the Hurricanes for a second season.

D’Eriq King has his eyes set on both an ACC Championship and improving his draft stock

King was a Heisman contender who amassed 50 touchdowns in 10 games at Houston in 2018, but he left the program after just four games in 2019, citing an inability to mesh with Dana Holgorsen and his offense.

King found a home under Diaz and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee in Miami, as he threw for 22 touchdown passes against just five interceptions while rushing for 520 yards and four touchdowns. Miami’s inability to get it right at quarterback has killed them over the last decade, and King showing that his production wasn’t simply a product of an explosive Houston offense in a Non-Power 5 conference vaulted the Hurricanes to a 8-2 record, a No. 18 overall ranking, and a Cheez-It Bowl appearance against Oklahoma State.

King’s size will be a deterrent to NFL teams despite his electric athletic ability, but he is one of the most productive college football quarterbacks in the country when he’s on, and that could help the Hurricanes challenge mighty Clemson for the ACC title in 2021.

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