Miami QB D'Eriq King to have season-ending shoulder surgery
It looks like the college football career of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has come to an end.
Miami head coach Manny Diaz announced on his Monday radio show that King will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. King is a sixth-year senior, so the surgery will almost certainly end his collegiate career.
King injured the shoulder against Michigan State on Sept. 18 and has missed Miami’s last two games. Diaz said Monday that the team knew the day after the MSU game that King would probably need surgery, but King tried to rehab the injury in an effort to return to the field. After a few weeks, King decided surgery was the best option.
“Really, the day after the Michigan State game, we knew that odds are the injury he suffered in his shoulder would probably need a surgery to correct it,’’ Diaz said via the Miami Herald. “And if he had to have the surgery, that that would end his season. There was a narrow avenue that he could rehab and potentially come back and be able to play this season without needing a surgery. So, we were going down that road. That’s what D’Eriq wanted, to go down that road.”
King began his career as a receiver at Houston before making the move to quarterback. At UH, King set an FBS record by throwing and rushing for a touchdown in 15 consecutive games for the Cougars. In all, King threw for 4,925 yards and 36 touchdowns, rushed for 1,660 yards and 28 touchdowns and caught 59 passes for 504 yards in a UH uniform.
King took a redshirt at Houston in 2019 and later decided to transfer. He landed at Miami and had a huge impact in 2020. He threw for 2,686 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 538 yards and four scores on the ground.
King tore his ACL during Miami’s bowl game and later decided to return for his sixth season by taking advantage of the NCAA’s ruling to give everyone an extra year of eligibility after playing through the pandemic.
Miami opened the 2021 season with a blowout loss to Alabama. The Hurricanes then beat Appalachian State and lost to Michigan State. In those three games, King threw for 767 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Tyler Van Dyke named Miami's starting QB
With King sidelined, both Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia played in the team’s win over Central Connecticut State. Garcia injured his ankle in that game and subsequently had surgery, leaving Van Dyke as the starter moving forward.
Van Dyke got the start against Virginia on Sept. 30 and struggled early as the Hurricanes fell behind 19-7. He played better in the second half and led a spirited comeback. Miami had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Andres Borregales missed a 33-yard field goal and the Hurricanes lost 30-28 to drop to 2-3 on the year.
After a bye week, Miami will return to action on the road against North Carolina on Saturday. UNC opened the season ranked No. 10 in the country, but dropped to 3-3 by losing to Florida State at home over the weekend.
With King and Garcia out, redshirt freshman Peyton Matocha will be Van Dyke's backup.
