AWARDS & ACCOLADES
2025 Dave Campbell's Texas Football 40 Under 40 List
2024 247Sports 30under30 List
BIO
D'Eriq King enters his fourth season with the Mustangs in 2026, serving as the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.
King was named one of the upcoming young coaches in the country by various publications, being selected to 247Sports 30under30 List in August of 2024 and Dave Campbell's Texas 40 Under 40 List in July of 2025.Â
Under King, Kevin Jennings reached new heights in his second year as the starting quarterback in 2025. Jennings recorded career highs in completions (300), passing yards (3,641), passing touchdowns (26) and total touchdowns (30), despite battling an ankle injury throughout the season. Jennings completed the year ranked eighth nationally in passing yards and 16th in passing touchdowns, earning him All-ACC Honorable Mention honors.
Furthering his development under King, Jennings continued to set himself apart on the national stage, becoming one out of just 11 quarterbacks in all of FBS to have at least 25 passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. The Oak Cliff native was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, along with collecting numerous weekly honors, including the Manning Award Stars of the Week (Nov. 3, Nov. 24) and the Davey O’Brien Great 8 Award (Nov. 3, Nov. 24).
In 2025, the Jennings-led offense posted a 9-4 record, taking home a bowl victory against No. 17 Arizona in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl on Jan.2, SMU’s first bowl win since 2012.
In 2024, King played a pivotal role in the development of Kevin Jennings, resulting in the Mustangs earning their first berth in the College Football Playoff. His work with the redshirt sophomore helped unlock a potent Mustang offense that caused opposing teams issues all season.
With Jennings running the offense, the Mustangs were 9-2 and averaged 37.1 points per game. During his time as the starter, SMU posted a nine-game winning streak, matching 2023's run as the second longest in program history. Â For his play, Jennings was first-team All-Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football, All-ACC Third Team and a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, an award King was a two-time finalist for.
SMU continued to produce on offense at an elite level in their first year competing as a member of the ACC, averaging 36.5 points a game on the year, the seventh highest average for a season in program history. The 511 points scored in 2024 were the third most in program history.
Under King's guidance, Jennings found his groove after taking over as the starter in week 4, leading the ACC in passer efficiency rating at 171.53 in conference play. He also ranked fourth in conference games in total offense, averaging 309.25.
King served as an offensive analyst for a majority of 2023 before being promoted to quarterbacks coach on Dec. 20. He played a role in the development of quarterbacks Preston Stone and Kevin Jennings during the season, which saw the Mustangs score at least 55 points four times in 2023, the most in program history for a single season. SMU's offense also finished top five in program history in first downs (first), passing touchdowns (fifth), passing yards (fifth) and total yards (tied for first). Stone went on to become an All-AAC Third-Team selection and Pro Football Focus All-AAC selection that year, posting career highs in passing yards and touchdowns.
A native of Manvel, King has a wealth of experience already at the position, having starred collegiately at Houston (2016-19) and Miami (2020-21), with the final two years coming with Lashlee as the offensive coordinator for the Hurricanes.
He passed for 8,378 yards and 76 touchdowns in five seasons between the two schools, recording at least 2,500 yards passing and 500 rushing yards twice in his collegiate career.
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