Miami quarterback D’Eriq King to return to UM in 2021, making Canes a playoff contender
The calendar hasn’t even hit 2021 and already it’s looking significantly better than 2020 for the Miami Hurricanes.
University of Miami star quarterback D’Eriq King, among the top signal callers in the nation, announced Saturday with a video on social media that he will return to UM for the 2021 season — his sixth as a college player — instead of entering the NFL Draft.
“Decision made,” King headlined on Twitter, accompanied by the 1:43 video. It ends with “Let’s run it back!” scrolling across a Twitter post.
King, 23, who just completed his fifth-year senior regular season after transferring from Houston to Miami last January, will take advantage of the extra year of eligibility in 2021 that the NCAA granted to all players because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
King’s return is huge news for Miami. It should buoy the Canes (8-2, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) as one of the favorites to win the ACC next season and contend for the College Football Playoff — that is, if they can get past current No. 1 Alabama, UM’s opening 2021 opponent on Sept. 4 in Atlanta.
The No. 18 Hurricanes are now preparing to play No. 21 Oklahoma State (7-3, 6-3 Big 12) in the Cheez-It Bowl at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
“It was a tough decision for me, but playing here at the U is unbelievable,’’ King told the media later Saturday during a Zoom interview. “Being the starting quarterback means something. It has always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL, but I mean it’s gonna be there.
“If I do what I want to do next year and have a pretty good season and the team does well, it’s a good opportunity. Playing in the same system for two years in a row, I’ve never done in my college career. I always had different coaches the next year, a different offensive coordinator.
“...I just couldn’t pass it up.’’
Former UM great and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ed Reed, who has the role of UM Chief of Staff in assisting coach Manny Diaz with the program, posted this on Twitter after King’s announcement: “Heisman. #myvote.’’
Not only was King a leader from the moment he stepped on campus last January, he had as fine a season as most could have imagined. Going into the Cheez-It Bowl, King started all 10 regular-season games, completing 201 of 316 passes (63.6 percent) for 2,573 yards and 22 touchdowns, with five interceptions.
King also led UM in yards rushing in the regular season if you take away the 160 yards he lost during 26 sacks. He ended with 520 net yards and four touchdowns rushing, behind Cam’Ron Harris’ 591 and nine touchdowns.
King 15th nationally
For the regular season, King’s 309.3 total yards a game (3,093 total in his 10 games) was 15th nationally in total offense. His 2,573 passing yards also was 15th nationally. For comparison’s sake, Heisman Trophy finalist Trevor Lawrence of Clemson finished 11th nationally in total offense for the regular season with 329.3 total yards a game (2,753 yards passing) in his nine games.
King’s height — he stands just under 5-10 — was clearly the main factor affecting his draft status. UM coach Manny Diaz has made it clear that another year in Miami’s improved no-huddle, spread offense under coordinator Rhett Lashlee would greatly benefit King toward an NFL future.
“I had a lot of conversations with different people,’’ King said of the NFL factor. “Our coaches do a great job of communicating [with] NFL scouts. I talked to a bunch of people. Most people said I would be a later-round pick — four-through-six, whatever. I really didn’t know exactly because I’m such a different, you know, hybrid kind of player — quarterback, whatever. So people had me ranked differently.
“I wouldn’t say it played a major part, but it played a role in my decision coming back. I’m trying to be in the best position possible when I take that next step.’’
Except for soon-to-be fifth-year senior N’Kosi Perry, Miami’s quarterbacks have virtually no real college experience. It’s yet to be seen if and how King’s decision might affect Perry and his college future. Although Perry has started several games in his career, he only played in four games in 2020, going 7 of 13 for 120 yards and one touchdown, with one interception.
The other scholarship quarterbacks are rising redshirt freshman Tyler Van Dyke, rising redshirt sophomore Peyton Matocha and incoming freshman Jake Garcia.
Through Miami’s first eight games, according to Pro Football Focus, King had 22 runs of 10-plus yards, which led all Power 5 quarterbacks, and forced 24 missed tackles — No. 1 among Power 5 quarterbacks.
Pinnacle performance
King had his best 2020 single-game performance Nov. 6 at North Carolina State, where he completed 31 of 41 passes for 430 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions to lead UM to a fourth-quarter comeback. He also rushed for a team-high 105 yards that game. King’s 535 total yards of offense was the third-highest single-game total in FBS this season.
According to ESPN, it was just the sixth time in the past 20 seasons that a quarterback had at least 400 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and 100 rushing yards in a single game. The last player to do it? King in 2018 at Houston.
King, one of five finalists for the 2020 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, was also a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and Maxwell Award. He holds the FBS record with 16 straight games with at least one passing and rushing touchdown — breaking the record of 14 set by former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. He totaled 6,346 yards of offense in 22 starts over three seasons at Houston.
This story was originally published December 26, 2020 at 11:22 AM.
