In a scenario I thought I'd only see in an NCAA Football video game, two of Houston's top players – including star quarterback D'Eriq King – are redshirting this season with the plan to return next season, presumably when the team is better.
King and top wide receiver Keith Corbin are shutting their seasons down after four games, taking a redshirt year after a 1-3 start for the Cougars, and both say they plan to return to the team next season.
From @UHCougarFB: QB D'Eriq King and WR Keith Corbin will redshirt for the 2019 season with the plan to return next year. pic.twitter.com/dVVxhgScRk
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 23, 2019
Initial reports were that King would sit out the remainder of the season, redshirt and leave the program as a graduate transfer. King's father told Mark Berman of Fox 26 that his son would be transferring, saying
"It's the best decision for him at this point," King's father told Berman. "Very, very tough (decision). He's got a lot of teammates riding on him. Sometimes you got to be a little self-centered & do what's best for u."
Publicly, the plan is now for King to return next season, but that doesn't totally rule out a potential transfer before the 2020 season kicks off, and there could be one particular Big XII program seeking a fourth-straight transfer quarterback that happened to face King this season.
FWIW Lincoln Riley said this quote regarding D'Eriq King, moments after the Sooners beat Houston in the season opener, to about 20 of us in a press conference:
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) September 23, 2019
"There aren't five quarterbacks in the country better than (King) -- and that may be too many. He's fantastic."
Through four games, King has been one of the most dynamic players in the country, throwing for 663 yards and six touchdowns with just two interceptions, and adding 312 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
