Demetrius Knight Jr.
- position LB
- height 6-2
- weight 245
- class Sixth Year
- Hometown Locust Grove, Ga.
- High school Strong Rock Christian
- Previous School Charlotte
- position LB
- height 6-2
- weight 245
- class Sixth Year
- Hometown Locust Grove, Ga.
- High school Strong Rock Christian
- Previous School Charlotte
Demetrius Knight Jr. Bio
*2024 Rex Enright Team Captain
*2024 Most Outstanding Senior
*2024 Joe Morrison MVP Defense
*2024 Honorable Mention All-SEC (College Football Nation)
*2024 Strength and Conditioning Award
*2024 co-Nutrition Award
*2023 First-Team All-AAC (Coaches)
*2021-22 ACC Academic Honor Roll
*2020-21 ACC Academic Honor Roll
*2019-20 ACC Academic Honor Roll
Six-year linebacker who spent his final season at South Carolina after four years at Georgia Tech and one at Charlotte… earned first-team all-conference honors in 2023 in his lone season with the 49ers… appeared in 61 games with 22 starts… collected 229 career tackles.
2024 (Super Senior)
Turned in an impressive final season in his lone year as a Gamecock… quickly established himself as a team leader and was named a Rex Enright Team Captain, the Most Outstanding Senior and one of three players named the Joe Morrison MVP for the defense following the season… also was recognized by the coaches as one of three players for the Strength and Conditioning Award and shared the Nutrition Award with Raheim Sanders… played in all 13 games starting 10… second on the team with 82 tackles including 57 solo stops… logged 8.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks… also forced three fumbles and intercepted a pass… tied for fourth in the SEC in fumbles forced… reached double-figures in tackles on three occasions, logging a season-best 11 stops in back-to-back games against Oklahoma and Texas A&M and another 10 in the win at Clemson… had 2.0 TFLs, a sack and forced a pair of fumbles in the win at Oklahoma… sealed the 17-14 win over Clemson with an interception on the Tigers’ final drive… had a team-high seven tackles and forced a fumble on the goal line in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois.
2023 (Redshirt Senior)
Had a break out season in his first and only year at Charlotte, earning first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors from the league’s 14 head coaches… was just the sixth 49er to earn first-team all-conference honors in program history… appeared in 12 games… led the 49ers with 96 tackles, second in the AAC in total tackles and third in tackles per game… posted 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks… intercepted a team-high three passes, including a 16-yard “Pick-Six” at Maryland… also broke up four additional passes… recorded double-digits in tackles three times with a season-high 13 at South Florida, 11 versus Memphis and 10 at Tulsa… had a pair of tackles for loss at Florida and at East Carolina… also registered a sack against the Gators.
2022 (Senior)
Played in each of the season’s first four contests for Georgia Tech… recorded nine tackles… did not play in the remainder of the season following the dismissal of head coach Geoff Collins… redshirted.
2021 (Junior)
Saw action in all 12 games as a reserve linebacker and special teams stalwart for the Yellow Jackets… recorded six tackles, including two against top-ranked Georgia… scooped up a fumble and returned it 37 yards to set up a touchdown in win over North Carolina… completed the first pass attempt of his career when he threw a 4-yard toss for a first down on a fourth-and-two fake punt attempt against Boston College.
2020 (Sophomore)
Collected 18 tackles, including one for loss, and forced a fumble in eight games for the Ramblin’ Wreck… matched a season-high with four tackles three times – in the season opener at Florida State, the home opener versus UCF and against Notre Dame… posted a TFL and forced fumble against UCF… also had three stops in primetime win over Louisville.
2019 (Freshman)
Appeared in all 12 games as a reserve linebacker at Georgia Tech… despite limited opportunities, still amassed 18 tackles including 10 solo stops on the season… recorded 2.0 tackles-for-loss for 14 yards, including 1.0 sacks for 11 yards and a forced fumble… also turned in a pair of pass breakups and passes defended… made his first collegiate tackle in the primetime season-opener at then-No. 1 Clemson… turned in his best performance at Duke where he recorded six tackles and a pass breakup… recorded a monumental strip sack in the endzone during the first quarter against Miami (Fla.) that was recovered for a touchdown… totaled three tackles in back-to-back games at Virginia and vs. Virginia Tech.
HIGH SCHOOL
Four-year starter at quarterback and two-time team captain at Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove, Ga… two-time first-team all-region and all-area honoree… threw for 1,025 yards and ran for 682 yards as a junior in 2017 and eclipsed the 1,000-yard marks in both passing and rushing as a senior in 2018… holds the school record with a 99-yard touchdown run… also played wide receiver and running back during his prep career for the Patriots… was named MVP of the USA Football Invitational when playing for the U.S. national team versus Canada at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas… tabbed as the No. 30-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation by 247Sports… became the first NCAA Division I football student-athlete to ever come from Strong Rock Christian… coached by Tommy Webb… versatile athlete was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and baseball as well as football… once broke a rim during a slam dunk in a basketball game.
PERSONAL
Demetrius T. Knight Jr. was born July 21, 2000… earned his degree in literature, media and communication from Georgia Tech… cousin, DeAngelo Hall, who was an all-America defensive back at Virginia Tech who went on to be selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and become a three-time Pro Bowler during a 14-year pro football career with the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins… Is also a distant cousin of R&B legends Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin.