Baylor could be fit for a King

One thing that Manvel's D'Eriq King has going for him is his willingness to do or try anything. Although he's the Mavericks' starting quarterback, he's not being recruited that way.

When Baylor offered him last week, it was at defensive back. It appears Clemson, Louisville, Michigan State and UCLA are thinking the same thing. King (5-10, 165) split time on both sides of the ball as a freshman but strictly played only quarterback in 2013.

However, he spent part of the just concluded spring season working out in the secondary. So it looks like he will have some two-way play coming in his immediate future.

"Really, I'm open to anything,'' King said. "I'm really an athlete. I can play slot receiver, defensive back. I feel like I have great cover skills. I'm pretty aggressive so I think I have those things going for me.''

That's the type of player Baylor pursues - athletes with versatility. Well, at quarterback, he pretty much dominated in 2013. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,628 yards and 36 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. King also rushed for 1,289 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a team, Manvel had 81 total touchdowns. King had 53 of those. That's 65 percent of the scoring by one player.

While it has been short, King's relationship with Baylor has grown quickly. He attended and competed in this past Monday's camp in Cy Falls and plans on visiting Baylor on July 18, the date of its final summer camp.

"The camp [at Cy Falls] was really great,'' King said. "They worked my hips a lot. They helped me with my hips to make them lower so my change of direction can be a lot quicker. That made a big difference.''

King has also developed a pretty good relationship with Baylor assistant Chris Achuff.

"We talk a lot,'' he said. "We're really close. I like Baylor a lot right now. They're program is really good. You can see what they've done.''