D’Eriq King I wanted to set the tone for 2021.
The veteran quarterback announced before the Cheez-It Bowl his intention to return to Miami next season as a sixth-year veteran. The clash between the top 25 – the first of the bowl season – was to take a look at a potential leap on the ACC ladder next season.
Miami Coach Manny Diaz made it clear throughout the week how important this game of bowling was to the future. “It will be a hell of an off-season because we have to make sure that our off-season work ethic matches our expectations for the season,” Diaz told reporters before the Cheez-It Bowl.
And then, with a run, King and Miami’s future was shrouded in darkness. The four-year-old former Houston quarterback planted his right leg awkwardly, absorbed a blow from an Oklahoma State defender and rolled onto the lawn in pain in the middle of Tuesday’s second quarter. The knee will be assessed Wednesday in Miami. On Tuesday, someone had to wonder about King’s future (again) after it was apparently decided that he would return to play for the Hurricanes next season.
Ligament damage can result in surgery, and rehabilitation could jeopardize the return to the field after the season opened against Alabama on September 4.
“It’s tough,” said Diaz immediately after a 37-34 loss to Oklahoma. “He has been through so much adversity. And for a guy who does everything right, I hope we get good news tomorrow. This is a hard pill to swallow for the entire football team.”
Miami fans will certainly wonder about the prospects until a definitive prognosis is released, but for now the unknown must make Miami anxious.
A potential team in the top 10 in 2021 is suddenly on the brink – again – of fighting for notoriety after apparently returning to the national spotlight just two months ago with a top 10 ranking, only to lose it again with stunning defeats to Clemson Carolina From north.
That feeling of hope returned last week, when King announced that he would return to Miami. He was not only the leading passer – 2,686 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions – but also the second leader (538 yards and four touchdowns).
“When you have a leader like that in the locker room who can help set the tone from day one, instead of, ‘Hi, I’m the new guy’ like he did in January, it has to help our football team, ‘”Diaz said this week.
After the game, there were doubts about King’s future – again. The quarterback said last week that he was thinking about the NFL just a month or two ago. Now? Diaz did not want to guess after what seemed right a few hours earlier, on Tuesday night.
The hurricanes approached the bowl game as a chance for redemption after what they believed to be an unusual result in a 62-26 loss to North Carolina. The Miami defense opted to hit the snooze button on Tuesday night, allowing the State of Oklahoma to score 21 points in the first quarter.
So King, the best player in the Miami squad, was unable to put weight on his right leg and spent the entire second time supporting his weight on crutches while putting on a heavy knee brace.
Miami recovered with and without King, but only chased a car the rest of the night in the 37-34 loss. The defeat will not set the tone for 2021, but the Hurricanes certainly hope that King’s injury is not what defines the off season.
Diaz gave Miami a chance at containment at the ACC by entering the transfer market last year. He got King and also hired an offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee in the days following a disgusting 14-0 loss to Louisiana Tech at Independence Bowl.
Miami still had growing pains this season, but the attack has improved and an 8-2 record in the regular season has been a tremendous improvement. Still, several players, including two defensive line-up players – will not be returning next season. Running back Cam’Ron Harris, the race leader, will make a decision about his future on Friday. Junior tight end Brevin Jordan, the best receiver of the Hurricanes, is also thinking about his future.
Still, the pieces are in place for another race towards a top 10 finish in 2021 if King is healthy.
“He’s everything that is right about college football and it would be difficult to get into next year to find another guy who meant more to this team,” said Lashlee.
For now, hurricanes need to ask themselves if they can lean on King’s right leg to make the next leap.
Brandon Marcello is a national college football reporter for 247Sports. You can follow him on Twitter (@bmarcello).