CORAL GABLES – The Miami Hurricanes received a big holiday present, even if it came a day after Christmas.
As the biggest breath of fresh air in recent memory, graduate transfer quarterback D’Eriq King has made his decision to return for the 2021 season. This comes after he ended his regular season by throwing for 2,570 yards and 22 touchdowns, while leading Miami to an 8-2 record, a berth in the Cheez-It Bowl, and the No. 18 national team ranking in the Associated Press Poll, Amway Coaches Poll, and the College Football Playoff Rankings.
King has averaged 309 total yards per game, while accounting for 26 total touchdowns (four rushing) and only five interceptions this season.
Speaking with reporters earlier this afternoon (Dec. 26) in a Zoom conference, King said quite a bit in how he made his choice to stay at Miami next year.
“Miami is such a great school,” King said. “I didn’t think I could pass up the opportunity to come and play one more year. The NFL will always be there, but my opportunity to play for the Miami Hurricanes is going by fast, and I want to take full advantage of it. I’m super excited to come back with the guys in 2021.”
King on how he feels about playing at quarterback for the Hurricanes:
“There have been a lot of great quarterbacks to play for this university and play for this team,” King said. “To even be in the same category, playing quarterback at The U with those guys, it’s a big honor and I don’t take it lightly. I know it comes with a lot of pressure, but I’m ready for everything.”
Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz spoke with reporters earlier today about King’s decision.
“It was a lot of excitement for sure,” Diaz said. “Happy for D’Eriq but obviously happy for our program as well and what that means going forward. You want to see all the players make the best decisions for them. But you want them to feel valued and feel like they can accomplish great things if they come back.”
Hurricanes tight end Will Mallory shared his thoughts on the King choice as well.
“It’s huge for us as a team, for the coaches, this whole program,” Mallory said. “It gets us excited to finish up this season strong but it also gets us excited for next year, just because a guy like that, it really elevates the team to different levels.”
Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee offered his own thoughts.
“D’Eriq’s a special person,” Lashlee said. “He’s got that incredible ability to command the respect of everyone around him just by how he works and how he carries himself. He just brings everyone together but yet, he’s hard on himself. He’s always trying to be the best he can be.”
Lashlee had more to say about King.
“When he came here, it was a one-year deal,” Lashlee said. “He has never been in the same system twice. So this is an opportunity for us to improve. He loves college football, and this excites him a lot. It’s hard to find another guy who means more to us than D’Eriq.”
Diaz looked at King’s decision to return as a catalyst for the entire Hurricanes offense in more ways than one.
“For D’Eriq, it’s a chance to have a lot of his weapons return,” Diaz said. “How about having a full offseason to get chemistry and timing right? When D’Eriq came in, he was the new guy and an outsider. But it was obvious he was going to be our team captain and leader…He came back because he wants to win. This has to help our football team. We’re going to have a hell of an offseason.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Canes Football
