Kirk Herbstreit: D'Eriq King could be the face of college football

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King could be the face of college football in 2021.

In an appearance on Tobin and Leroy on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket in Miami, Herbstreit said he thinks Miami has a chance against Alabama in the Chick-fil-A kickoff game and added that King will be the key.

“Yeah, you have to,” Herbstreit said on if Miami stands a chance against Alabama. “D’Eriq King, provided he’s healthy and it sounds like he is, he to me could be the face of the sport this year. He is everything that is right about the game. I feel like because he solidified that position; we were just talking about Michigan at that spot. Miami has had the same concern at quarterback for a number of years of just getting consistent play. When you get consistent play at that position, not only does it impact the offense, but it impacts the defense and the belief in the team.”

Herbstreit continued.

“Hey, ‘We can win this game today, he’s going bring us back. He can help us win,” Herbstreit said. “As opposed to, “Oh boy, I don’t know if we can count on him.’ I think he has impacted the Miami culture as much as anybody. You know you are playing Alabama. I’m going to tell you right now, I know we live in an offensive era. But if you’re not familiar with Alabama, in 2021 they’re going to be back to being a dominant defense. D’Eriq and the ‘Canes offense, they’re going up against, to me, the best defense in the country. That’s a tough way to start. It’ll be a tough task, but yeah, you always got a shot in college football to win a game.”

D’Eriq King provided Miami with consistency at the quarterback position they haven’t seen in some time. In 2020, King threw for 2,686 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing over 64% of his passes. He added another 538 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Disaster struck at the end of the season, when King tore his ACL in the Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma State, after previously announcing he’d be returning to Miami for the 2021 season.

King is healthy less than two weeks out from the Hurricanes matchup with Alabama. He will have a new weapon this season in former Oklahoma wide receiver Charleston Rambo, who transferred to Miami this offseason.

D’Eriq King will be joined by the promising running back rotation of Cam’Ron Harris, Jaylan Knighton and Donald Chaney. Behind the backs, King and Rambo, the Hurricanes will look to stun the defending national champion Rolling Tide.