Miami Football: D’Eriq King will save offense that’s on life support
D’Eriq King announced his transfer to Miami football earlier this week which means the Hurricanes finally have a proven quarterback to save the offense.
Nightmare doesn’t even begin to describe the type of season Miami’s offense had in 2019. In fact, the Hurricanes ranked 52nd in passing and 120th in rushing and averaged just 27.8 points per game.
Deservedly so, Miami parted ways with offensive coordinator Dan Enos following the season and set its sights on a drastic improvement with a new style in 2020.
The quarterback play was arguably the most disappointing of anything in 2019 for the Hurricanes, especially with the talent they brought back — and in. Tate Martell came in from Ohio State and was expected to compete for the starting job and many believed he was the favorite to win the battle, but N’Kosi Perry and Jarren Williams had other ideas.
Williams, a freshman, was named the day one starter and finished the season with some solid numbers (2,187 yards, 19 touchdowns, 61 percent completions) but wasn’t quite as consistent as Manny Diaz wanted him to be. He split some time with Perry.
Perry, on the other hand, finished with 1,045 yards, eight touchdowns and a 54 percent completion rate. Neither ran the ball well, either, and Martell had just one pass attempt all season long.
It came time for Diaz to search for some fresh blood and he found it in the form of D’Eriq King, a transfer from Houston who will be eligible immediately.
While this may cause a stir in the current quarterback room and potential lead to a transfer or two, this is the best-case scenario for the Hurricanes in 2020. This is what they needed in order to take the offense off life support and have a pulse on that side of the ball.
Why is King so important for this offense? He brings an added dimension of running ability to the field and he can pass for 300 yards in a game and still run for another 50-75. He’s not one-dimensional and his passing ability doesn’t suffer because of his legs.
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Miami is going to take a massive step in the right direction next season with King under center and even though the Hurricanes have a potential star in the making in Williams, he needs some time to mature. Diaz made one heck of a move by bringing King in and winning becomes possible right away.