Look Closely, Ponies Picking D'eriq King Could Have Huge Benefits
DALLAS — Some folks will think SMU coach Rhett Lashlee moving offensive analyst D'Eriq King to quarterbacks coach risky. Look a little closer. The upside is much bigger, especially taking in the recruiting aspect. The is a big benefit in today's world of dealing with young adults.
"The thing that makes sense for us is he relates really well to players," Lashlee said Wednesday. "You'll be an excellent recruiter. He's from the state of Texas playing down in Manvel, so he's got a great presence in Houston. He's really got a great, great presence throughout the state. He's played quarterback in our offense in the last couple of years."
It's a relatable way to recruit players. Especially making the move up to the ACC next year, the Mustangs are going to need more players. No matter how many you have, it's not really enough and you want more.
Do you think guys in my age group (think Mack Brown at North Carolina) are relating well to a kid in high school? It's like dealing with grandkids, which we do well at on certain things, but not necessarily others. King is young enough and has a background these kids want to see.
"If I'm a kid coming to play quarterback at SMU or if I'm on our roster, I'm like, 'Man, I get to get coached by guy who just did it at a high level, both at Houston and Miami in college, played in the NFL for a minute, played in the XFL,'" Lashlee said "He's run this offense. This specific one. The plays we're running, what we call them, he's done those things. From a transition standpoint that fits and makes a lot of sense. He's going to do a really good job."
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Lashlee is ready to deal with the learning curve King will have. No coach knows everything, especially the younger ones. He knows it, expects it and the entire staff that's apparently on board fully with it are also willing to help. That's how most coaches are.
"There's always plus and minuses, right?" Lashlee said. "There will be a learning curve to coaching a quarterback versus playing quarterback. He'll do fine with that. The way you relate to guys, it's important and there's a lot of guys who would want to be coached by a guy who's been in that role recently. A lot of the guys he'll be recruiting grew up watching him, which is weird, but it also be good for him. There's no normal path. Yeah, usually you go to GA, maybe you're an analyst and all that. Sometimes you skip steps. We got some really good analysts and GAs that are qualified to do a lot of things, but sometimes it's about fit and timing. Just the fit, the timing, talking to our staff, specifically on offense, they all thought it made sense from the transition standpoint and I think he'll do really well."
Losing former quarterback coach Jonathan Brewer to Manny Diaz to Duke (which is on the Ponies' schedule next year) will create a weird feeling for Lashlee, having to face a guy he's worked beside for years. "We'll probably be like the old Spiderman meme staring at each other," he joked Wednesday.
"(Brewer) and I've been together for 11 years straight and for him to get an opportunity to go coordinate, run the offense for Manny Diaz) at Duke, "He'll do a great job there. Johnny's as fine of an assistant coach as I've ever had a chance to work with."
When they hit the practice field this week starting to get ready for the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28, it was a little different for a buddy to not be out there with him, like he was for over a decade.
"It was kind of weird because last Saturday we had our first practice since the (conference championship) game," Lashlee said. "That was the first practice since I hit my 30's that I had been at a practice that Johnny Brewer and I weren't on the same staff. That's a long time. Really happy for him. We hate to lose him, but he's going to do great. And that's what you want, if you're winning and your program's been successful, you want when guys leave your program, they leave because they're being successful and they're getting great opportunities to further themselves."
Lashlee's two seasons have been relatively stable from keeping a coaching staff together. Winning 11 games and a conference championship gts folks' attention. He he handles those changes will be big going forward.
Just remember the old coaching adage: A head coach is only as good as his assistants. Since the coaches I've heard that from are all in the Hall of Fame as coaches, there may be a little to it. This will actually be Lashlee's first big test.
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