D’Eriq King transfers to Miami

It’s official. D’Eriq King found a new home for his final season of college football. While there was still speculation about where he might end up, it appears early reports were correct. King will finish his career as a Miami Hurricane, and the decision sparks some interesting thoughts.

Make no mistake, D’Eriq King elevates Miami’s offense just be transferring. His 78 career touchdowns are a testament to that, and he’ll give the Canes a big time playmaker at quarterback. New offensive coordinator goes from working with Shane Buechele at SMU to D’Eriq King at his new job with Miami. It will be interesting to see what Lashlee can do with a talent like King, but there are some concerns with this move as well.

First things first, there’s the competition. It’s not that competition is bad, but the Hurricanes already have a crowded quarterback room. Do I believe King is the best in that group? Yes. However, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll start. N’Kosi Perry, Jarren Williams, and Tate Martell all competed for the starting job last year, and none emerged as a reliable option. King could provide that stability they were looking for, but we’ll see.

Next, who will help him? Miami’s offensive line allowed 51 sacks of those three quarterbacks last year. Granted, Martell is the only one with the elusiveness that’s even close to King’s, but he spent most of his time at receiver. King’s ability to keep plays alive with his legs will help that offense, but some improvement up front is desperately needed. That also leads to the question about the skill players. Deejay Dallas led Miami in rushing with just 693 yards, and K.J. Osborn led all receivers with just 547 yards. It’s tough to put up points with little production, and both of those players are gone. Lashlee was brought in to fix those issues, but there are more questions than answers right now.

Without much detail from King himself, we’re not sure why he chose Miami ultimately. Will playing at Miami get him more exposure? It could be the third consecutive quarterback that Lashlee improves immensely, but King’s passing still needs work. I’m also not sure trading Marquez Stevenson and Keith Corbin (along with a couple other skill players) for their couterparts at Miami is an upgrade, but we’ll see.

For now, it’s sad to see King leave Houston. Now that we know more details surrounding King’s situation, it becomes more bizarre. If it helps him get to the NFL, then great. Ultimately, it’s his decision to make, and we should support that. Whether we agree with it or not. D’Eriq King’s a dynamic player, and we just need to adjust seeing him in green and orange instead of red and white.