Yahoo Finance After taking redshirt year, Houston QB D'Eriq King decides to enter transfer portal
Another big-time name has hit the transfer portal. And this one has been long-anticipated.
During Monday night’s national championship game, Houston quarterback D’Eriq King announced that he will indeed pursue a transfer. That comes months after King decided to take a redshirt after playing in four games.
At the time, King said he planned to return to the Cougars in 2020 as a fifth-year senior. Now, as many expected, he has changed course.
I’ve entered the portal I think it’s best for me and my family!
— King (@DeriqKing_) January 14, 2020
The NCAA’s updated rules on redshirting allow a player to play in up to four games and maintain a year of eligibility. Kelly Bryant followed that path in 2018 when he left Clemson after being benched in favor of Trevor Lawrence. Bryant then ended up at Missouri as a redshirt senior in 2019. King will now follow that same path.
Unlike Bryant, King was never benched. The 2019 season, Houston’s first under ex-West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen, was King’s third year as starting quarterback. King is one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. Just days before announcing his decision to redshirt, King set an FBS record by both throwing for a touchdown and rushing for a touchdown in 15 consecutive games.
King began his Houston career as a wide receiver before becoming the starting quarterback late in the 2017 season. In 2018, King threw for 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns while rushing for 674 yards and 14 more scores. King rebounded from a knee injury late in 2018 and was ready to go in Week 1 this year. In the four games he played in 2019, King compiled 663 passing yards, 312 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns.
D'Eriq King just set the FBS record by having both a passing and rushing touchdown in 15 straight games pic.twitter.com/5Bjtx0FSwd
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 20, 2019
The possibility of King’s name landing in the transfer portal loomed all season, and he should have no shortage of suitors from Power Five programs. He joins a group of available graduate transfer quarterbacks that includes K.J. Costello (ex-Stanford), Anthony Brown (Boston College), Feleipe Franks (Florida) and Jett Duffey (Texas Tech).
Jamie Newman, formerly of Wake Forest, was quickly snatched up by Georgia. Utah also dipped into the grad transfer market by landing a commitment from ex-South Carolina QB Jake Bentley.
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