Written by Mike Stacey｜Writer｜Twitter/X: @MikeStaceyIT, IG: @mikestaceyit
Photo Credit: Deuce Knight X (Twitter)
I was recently able to have a conversation with Notre Dame 2025 QB commit, Deuce Knight. Deuce is one of the top dual threat quarterbacks in the country. 247 Sports Composite has him ranked as the 4th QB in the class, and the 54th ranked player in the country. Deuce plays for George County High School out of Lucedale Mississippi. This year as a Junior, he finished with 1420 Passing Yards, 15 TD's and 3 Interceptions. In the Rushing Department, Deuce finished with 340 yards and 8 TD's. When you look at his tape, you see an incredible athlete with a strong arm. Considering he still has a year of high school to continue to develop, this should make Irish fans VERY excited for what's to come. He already boasts a 4.53 40 yard dash, 41.9 inch vertical, and 4.39 time in the short shuttle according to 247 Sports. Pair that with another year of development before he enters Notre Dame's Strength and Conditioning program and is implemented into Mike Denbrock's offensive system, well, we may have another Jayden Daniels on the horizon. Simply put, Irish fans should be excited about this one! Now, let's get to the interview where we discussed his recruitment, role as a recruiter in this class, some of his personal favorites and much more!
What were your main factors when choosing a school?
"First off, I picked a school based on relationships. Then I wanted a place where I could see myself succeeding on the field, and have a good fit in the offense. Third, I wanted a place that felt like a great environment. Stadium atmosphere, things like that and a place where I could succeed off the field too
You mention relationships, what were some of the big relationships that lead to you picking Notre Dame?
"Me and coach Gino for sure, we talk a lot. Me and Chad speak a lot and he stays calling me. Same with coach Freeman and Coach Parker. Coach Freeman recruited me more than any head coach. That was big time."
Anything about Notre Dame that separated them from the other schools?
"First off the culture. They have a long history of great athletes and successful people. Second, kind of going back to the culture, the history of the football program and the school. Lastly, I can go to Notre Dame and play the best football as well as get the best education too. That was a big reason."
What is your favorite spot on campus at ND?
"My favorite THING on campus is Touchdown Jesus. I really like looking at it. Other than the football facility, that's it."
What kind of offense do you see yourself running at Notre Dame?
"When Coach Parker was the OC he told me what it was. He runs a pro style offense but was still going to tailor the offense to everything I do best like getting outside the pocket, making throws. A lot of RPO's where I can make decisions. A lot of play-action deep shots, stuff like that."
What are your goals for this upcoming season?
"I know everyone says this but I want to win a State Championship for sure. Nobody wants to leave high school without winning a State Championship. That's really my only goal. I'd like to win Mr. Football in my state but other than the state championship I don't really have any other goals."
Alright how about some fun questions, what are your hobbies outside of football?
"I'm like from the country so there's not too much you can do. I don't like to hunt and I don't fish, that's like the only thing people like to do in my little town. So I don't really do too much. I like to cook and I play the game, that's about it. I do play basketball too."
Let's talk about your fellow commits in 2024. What is your relationship like with them? Who is on your wish list?
"Jerome Bettis Jr, Owen Strebig, Those are my good friends that I talk to every day that aren't committed that I want to get for sure. Will Black committing tomorrow so we'll see what he does. Staff told me he's a big time player so hopefully he's Irish. Then you got Dallas Golden from Florida. Man, he lead his team to a State Championship and went crazy the whole playoff run, so he's a big time athlete, got to stay on him. I think we're recruiting him to play corner, so I want him too. Then Chris Burgess Jr. commits soon so I've been chasing him a lot and want to get him to be Irish too. Some of the guys that have already committed I have a great relationship with like CJ May, he's like my best friend, talk to him daily. I talk to James a lot and Justin Thurman too. Whenever we play a game or are up at Notre Dame we are always around each other, talking, stuff like that."
Who is the funniest guy in your class?
"Well okay! This is hard, but it's CJ May for sure! CJ is openly funny, he wants to make you laugh, but Justin Thurman is like a real serious guy, so if he just says something it's funny because he's so serious. So it's those two guys but CJ May is a clown for sure."
Who is the most intimidating guy in the class?
"Probably Dom (Dominik Hulak), he's probably like 6'3-6'4 and he's just serious all the time he really doesn't talk too much. Even in our commit group chat he doesn't talk too much and then they say he's a hockey player too, and you know how the hockey players are they run stuff."
Who is the best athlete in the class?
"I don't know. Justin Thurman, he's crazy athletic. The burst he has and the speed he has, crazy. For James to be 6'6 and he can move good too, I don't know. It's probably between me, Justin and James."
Who was your favorite college team growing up?
"Florida State. I went to FSU camps when I was like 6 and I just started liking them."
Was Florida State ever a serious candidate for you?
"No they weren't. That was crazy though. They never offered me."
Me: "THEIR LOSS!"
Who is your favorite NFL team?
"Panthers. My dad is from North Carolina."
Who is the NFL player you compare yourself to/aspire to be like?
"I'm a big Cam Newton guy, he is my favorite player. I want to be like him. I got to see his highlights and just thought he is crazy good. Cam was different."
Finally, what is your message to the Notre Dame fans?
"The next 3 years, especially with the recruiting class we have coming in, just know that we're building something crazy. I feel like this 2025 class can be one of the best in Notre Dame history. I think in the next couple years we're going to win a National Championship, and the big games that the fans feel like we underperform, I can promise we are going to win those."
There is a lot to be excited about for Irish fans when it comes to Deuce Knight! Show him your support and follow him on X @DeuceKnight and on IG @deuce.knight2
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