LoneStarPreps: Recruit of the Week

Manvel (Texas) dual-threat quarterback and TCU commitment D'Eriq King led his team to the 6A-D2 State Quarterfinals, but the Mavericks fell short to the Katy Tigers and one game shy of their ultimate goal to win a state title.

King is one of many talented prospects on a loaded Manvel team, a roster that accounts for well over 100-plus FBS scholarship offers. Several college coaches, recruiting analysts and beat reporters for various college programs have stopped by Manvel this offseason.

How does the standout prospect handle all of the attention and balance everything?

"If you play football at Manvel high school, then you always get a lot of attention," King said. "You just have to stay humble and keep working hard every day. For me, I'm playing for one of the best teams in the state and that comes naturally, we all push one another."

The talented group of seniors is considered one of the best teams in Houston and a preseason favorite to become one of the best teams in the state for the 2015-16 season.

As one of the team leaders, what is the message to your teammates going into this next season?

"The message to the team is no matter how many offers or stars you might have, we just have to work hard every day," King said. "Our team all has one goal and that is to win a state championship."

King collected over a dozen offers from programs across the country over the past year and verbally committed to the TCU coaches in mid-January.

Did the commitment help to slow things down or did it bring on more attention?

"I feel like it was a little bit of both," King said. "It kind of slowed things down recruiting wise, but it brought more attention to Manvel and the team going into our senior year. That's all we care about, and now instead of talking about what schools are recruiting me, it's all about Manvel and our goal to win state."

At 5-foot-10, 170-pounds, King is being recruited as an athlete by most colleges and would prefer to continue playing quarterback at the next level. A handful of programs, including TCU, are allowing him to compete at the quarterback position and that played a major role in his commitment to the Horned Frogs.

A classmate at Manvel created a video titled 'Undersized' featuring King and his thoughts on the defined metrics or measurements most have for the typical quarterback prospect.

What are your thoughts when you hear those things or people use the term 'undersized'?

"I just think that if you can play football, no matter what size or height, then you can play football," King said. "Whether you're 5-foot-10 or 6-foot-3, if I'm better than the guy next to me, then I can play quarterback. I feel like, if you're a baller, then you're a baller regardless of your height or anything else."

The standout prospect mentioned working hard in the offseason on multiple occasions, so what does King do to continue getting better when nobody else is looking?

"Me and my teammates, we work hard every single day," King said. "Every morning we are up at the school doing swat and working out as a team. I feel like people actually miss that a lot, they come out to watch 7-on-7 tournaments or the games, but they don't see all of the work we put in."

What advice would you have for prospects out there possibly waiting on a certain offer or for the recruiting process to even get started?

"I would say to just keep working," King said. "You cannot hide what you do, if you work in the offseason, it will show up in the fall. More importantly, keep believing and keep praying, and then it will start to come."

Rated a three-star prospect, King is the No. 36 athlete in the country and the No. 45 player on the Rivals.com Texas Spring Top 100 for the 2016 class.

He finished with 3,050 yards and 47 touchdowns passing along with 789 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing - earning District 6A-22 MVP for the second year in a row this past season.

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