ACC Football: Each team’s top Heisman Trophy candidate for 2020
By Dante Pryor
Houston transfer D’Eriq King is a legitimate Heisman darkhorse. The Hurricanes won the offseason — again. That has not meant much since Manny Diaz took over as head coach of “The U”, but bringing in King was huge.
King’s ability to gel with what new coordinator Rhett Lashlee wants to do offensively is as essential to King’s success as it is the success of the Hurricanes this season. As good as Virginia Tech and North Carolina expect to be this season, it’s still the ACC Coastal and it’s still wide open.
He’ll have weapons to get the ball to including tight end Brevin Jordan. They lost DeeJay Dallas to the NFL draft, but junior Cam’Ron Harris was a four-star with lots of game. All three of their projected starting receivers have loads of experience, and a steady quarterback like King should get the most out of them.
The secret sauce to the Hurricanes this season is the growth and maturation of their offensive line. The benefit, however, to a quarterback like King is the offensive line does not have to be particularly suitable for him to be effective.
The grad transfer’s skill set can cover many deficiencies in an offensive line. If he and Lashlee find their sweet spot offensively, King will be on many a Heisman watch list.