It is a ‘blessing’ for Notre Dame 4-star QB commit Deuce Knight to be in the Elite 11 Finals
Lucedale (Miss.) George County four-star quarterback Deuce Knight grew up watching the Elite 11 Finals. Later this week, he will be a participant in it.
Knight is excited to follow in the footsteps of Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa among others he grew up watching. Now he gets to compete against some of the top players at his position in the 2025 cycle and the Notre Dame commit feels like it is a “blessing” to take part in the event.
“I am from Mississippi, so it is far from home, but I get to go to California and get coached up by some great guys with a lot of experience,” Knight told On3. “I will be beside some of the best guys in the country and I know a lot of them. It will be cool to be around George MacIntyre, K.J. Lacey, Julian Lewis and some others that I call friends. They are great quarterbacks. They do great things. I will get a chance to learn from them like I do the coaches. I want to take it all in, be around great guys and get better.”
Knight is hoping to improve as a quarterback during the Elite 11 Finals, as well as grow as a person. The No. 3 player in Mississippi wants to have fun and build relationships this week, but at the same time, showcase his talent.
“It’s cool how they have all of us in one place doing the same things. While competing and getting better, we will get to know each other too,” said Knight. “We will be working and learning, but at the same time, going head-to-head to be the top guy. It is exciting to think about it. I get to go out there amongst the best and see how I do. We all worked to get here, so we all want to go out there and win.”
Knight is locked in with Notre Dame, but Ole Miss isn’t giving up
Notre Dame received a commitment from Knight on Sept. 18. The 6-foot-4.5, 208-pounder is still feeling great about his pledge to the Fighting Irish coming off his official visit to South Bend.
“Notre Dame is a special place with a culture and a lot of tradition,” Knight said. “I talk to a lot of guys and they say, ‘Anywhere you go, if you tell the person you’re with that you’re from Notre Dame, they look at you and listen to you differently.’”
That applies both in between the lines of a football field and outside of it.
“Not only can Notre Dame do a lot for you in football, but it is great for life after football too,” he added. “Notre Dame is attractive for more than sports. I have the chance to go be the quarterback there, get that degree and be able to use both to help me after college football.”
While Knight is currently locked in with the Fighting Irish, Ole Miss is making a push to flip him.
Oxford is close to home. That and head coach Lane Kiffin are a couple reasons why he is still interested in the Rebels. Kiffin and Co. are still working to get Knight back on campus.
“Ole Miss is the main school I am in contact with outside of Notre Dame. Their message to me is about staying in the state and helping make Ole Miss great,” Knight said. “Ole Miss has coach Kiffin there and everybody knows what he can do with quarterbacks and offenses, so that is what they talk about with me. Coach Kiffin wants to get me there, help me develop and keep me in Mississippi.
… I am still not sure if I will visit Ole Miss in the future or not.”
Knight is the No. 54 overall prospect and No. 6 quarterback in the 2025 On300.