LSU Football: D’Eriq King needs to be top priority this offseason

LSU football should have time to celebrate a national title win, but when the confetti settles, it’s time to focus on landing D’Eriq King.

Hey LSU, did you enjoy winning a national title while watching your former transfer quarterback win the Heisman and break record after record? Want to see it happen again? D’Eriq King can help with that.

Entering the transfer portal on Monday night in the middle of LSU’s national title win over Clemson, King cemented his name at the top of every major program that needs a quarterback’s list of top priorities this offseason. He is that guy.

Joe Burrow’s transfer to LSU a couple of years ago was overlooked because he had just lost the quarterback competition at Ohio State with Dwayne Haskins and it ended up paying off for both sides because he had a great season and was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and the Buckeyes ended up landing Georgia-transfer and former five-star Justin Fields — he was a Heisman runner-up this season.

No one could have predicted Burrow would become an all-time great college quarterback, Heisman-winner, single-season record holder and national champion.

King, on the other hand, is already a starter and was expected to be one of the dark-horse Heisman contenders in college football this season, but he played four games and then sat to utilize a redshirt in the 2019 season likely because he didn’t get off to the start he wanted. Houston wasn’t a contender for a New Year’s Six bowl anymore and he struggled a bit.

Still, he’s the same quarterback who broke out in 2018 for 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns with only six picks. He also rushed for 674 yards and 14 scores.

But a coaching change may have signaled the end of his career with the Cougars. He gave Dana Holgorsen a shot, but the two didn’t exactly have styles that meshed. His completion percentage dropped about 11 percent from 2018 and didn’t look comfortable running the ball.

Ed Orgeron can change that.

If there’s any coach who embraces his signal-caller’s styles and plays to their strengths, it’s Orgeron along with Joe Brady, the passing game coordinator. King would absolutely thrive in LSU’s new high-powered offensive system.

King has the arm strength, he has shown accuracy with the right coaching and he can keep defenses honest with his ability to run — sound familiar?

If LSU wants to get back to the national title game and potentially field another Heisman winner, dipping into the transfer portal for King would be the way to go.