Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 30, 2023 45 BY MIKE SINGER When Notre Dame hosted Central Michigan Sept. 16, it had Murrieta (Ca- lif.) Valley four-star quarterback Bear Bachmeier on campus. It seemed likely that he would commit to the Irish and become Marcus Freeman's signal-caller for the 2025 class. Both he and Lucedale (Miss.) George County's Deuce Knight had the green light to commit. Notre Dame sources indicated on many occasions to Blue & Gold Illustrated that it was a first-come, first-served situation as to which passer the Irish would land. The Notre Dame staff was very high on both quarterbacks and would have been happy with either. Notre Dame offered Knight in March on its "Pot of Gold" day and dished out a scholarship to Bachmeier in July. While the staff loved both prospects, Knight was the top guy throughout the process. And Knight admits that the feeling was mutual for a while, but it wasn't until it sunk in that Bachmeier was about to take his spot that he acted upon his love for Notre Dame. "I thought about it, but in my mind I thought that if it's meant for me to go to Notre Dame, then he won't com- mit," Knight said regarding Bachmeier. "That's what I was thinking. And then I was like, 'Man, I think he's about to commit. I don't think I can pass up on this opportunity.'" Bachmeier left Notre Dame's campus Sept. 17 without making a decision to commit, and that evening is when Knight says he called Freeman to commit. "I let him know that I'm ready to do this," Knight said. "He was hyped. [Notre Dame director of recruiting] Chad Bowden called me after I got off the phone with Coach Freeman and said that I got this man [Freeman] jumping around and screaming in his office." And those were Freeman's actions for good reason. On3 ranks Knight as the na- tion's No. 4 quarterback and No. 28 overall player. If Knight's commitment becomes a signing next December, he'll be the high- est-ranked passer to ink with Notre Dame since Gunner Kiel in the 2012 class. During his sophomore season, Knight completed 111 of 174 passes for 1,780 yards with 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also racked up 488 yards and 12 touch- downs on 54 rushing attempts. Knight's team finished 2-8 in 2022, but his individual performance earned him All-Region 4-5A first-team honors. The Mississippi Association of Coaches listed him as its 5A second-team all- state quarterback. At the Elite 11 Regional camp in Ox- ford, Miss., during the spring, Knight ran a 4.53 40-yard dash and checked in at 6-4½, 192 pounds. Knight's relationship with the Notre Dame staff was key in his decision to pick the Irish. "I have the closest relationship with Coach Gino [Guidugli] and also have great relationships with Chad Bowden, Coach [Gerad] Parker, and Coach Free- man. But my relationship with Coach Gino was different from anybody else that was recruiting me. I could call Coach Gino to talk about anything at any time. He just made sure I always felt the love from ND and made sure I knew I was the No. 1 guy. "And their plan for me is to come in and compete for the job right away. They said I have a skill set that nobody else in that quarterback room has be- cause of my ability to run and throw, and that they are going to tailor the of- fense around what I do best and then get the top guys around me." Knight does not plan to visit any other schools and says he's "locked in" with his commitment. "I hope they know they're getting an elite competitor," he said in his message to Notre Dame fans. "Anything that I can do to win games, that's what I'm go- ing to do. They're getting a guy who will come in and help everyone get better because I'm an elite competitor. "If I'm going to compete hard, that's going to make everyone around me compete hard. And I'm a great team- mate. I'm going to support everyone around the program in any way I can." ✦ Notre Dame Lands Elite 2025 Quarterback COMMITMENT PROFILE DEUCE KNIGHT FILM ANALYSIS "Deuce Knight is a high-upside quarterback prospect with a lot of physical potential. He has a case as the most physically gifted quar- terback in the 2025 cycle. He is a top athlete at over 6-foot-4 and around 200 pounds. He's continued to get more athletic over the past year or so. He tested really well at the Elite 11 regional; he ran in the 4.5s [40-yard dash] and has a rare combination of size and athleticism at this early stage. "He's a lefty, and his arm strength looks to be very good. I've seen him throw in person on several occasions. He's a twitchy athlete and projects to be a run threat on the perimeter. He can get outside and break contain. He can be dangerous as a design runner as well. "In terms of areas for him to improve, he needs to add polish as a passer. I've seen him in the seven-on-seven setting and in a high school game, and he needs to hone his me- chanics." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Knight is rated as the No. 4 quarterback and No. 28 overall player in the country by On3. If his pledge becomes a signing next December, he'll be the highest-ranked passer to ink with Notre Dame since Gunner Kiel in the 2012 class. PHOTO COURTESY DEUCE KNIGHT "My relationship with Coach Gino was different from anybody else that was recruiting me. … He just made sure I always felt the love from ND and made sure I knew I was the No. 1 guy." KNIGHT ON NOTRE DAME QUARTERBACKS COACH GINO GUIDUGLI