Houston quarterback D'Eriq King will stay in Houston after all. The 2018 all AAC second-team star announced on Monday that he will sit out the remainder of the 2019 season as a redshirt and return to school for 2020.
This comes after a report from the Houston Chronicle that the senior would be looking to transfer out of Houston by preserving his redshirt just four games into the season.
"I came here to play football for the University of Houston and that is not changing," King said in a statement. "After carefully thinking through this process with my family and coach Holgorsen, I have decided the opportunity to redshirt this season gives me the best chance to develop as a player, earn my degree and set me up for the best success in the future. I'm looking forward to being part of the success of this program going forward."
King's father, Eric, told Mark Berman of FOX-KRIV 26 in Houston that he wanted his son to leave the program rather than stay and take a redshirt. He also shed a little light on his son's thought process.
"It's the best decision for him at this point. Very, very tough [decision]," Eric King said. "He's got a lot of teammates riding on him. Sometimes you got to be a little self-centered and do what's best for you."
D'Eriq King played in all four of the Cougars games in 2019, and will be able to preserve a year of eligibility by using the four-game redshirt rule that was instituted by the NCAA last year. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound, dual-threat star from Manvel, Texas, threw for 663 yards and six touchdowns, and rushed for 312 and six touchdowns in 2019. He broke former Florida star Tim Tebow's record by throwing and running for touchdowns in 15 consecutive games in the loss to Tulane last week.
He has been the star of an otherwise disappointing first month of the season for the Cougars under first-year coach Dana Holgorsen. They're 1-3 overall with losses to Oklahoma, Washington State and Tulane, with the lone win coming in Week 2 over Prairie View A&M. The only other player who has attempted a pass in 2019 is Dana Holgorsen's son, Logan, who is 1-of-1 for five yards. It's unclear whether the poor start or the new staff are related to his decision to leave the program.
The senior suffered a torn meniscus in November 2018 after tossing 36 touchdowns and rushing for 14 more. Despite the injury, King was named to the second team of the 2018 All-AAC team.
Senior wide receiver Keith Corbin will also take a redshirt year and return in 2020.
"Having the opportunity to take time and focus on the completion of my degree, plus having the chance to develop as a student-athlete is why I have decided to redshirt for the remainder of the 2019 season," Corbin said in a statement. "Coach Holgorsen, myself and my family both took time to make this decision. Being a Cougar has been one of the best decisions I have made, and I'm ready to take this time to help our program develop for the future."
Corbin had 11 catches for 192 yards and two touchdowns in four games this season, and had 691 yards and a team-high 10 touchdown catches in 2018.
Houston will play at North Texas on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.