2025 Notre Dame QB Commit Deuce Knight Arrives in South Bend Ready to Recruit
2025 Notre Dame commit Deuce Knight arrived in South Bend on Wednesday night with a big smile for his multi-day unofficial visit.
The four-star prospect didn’t have to be talked into making the trip from Mississippi. Knight wanted to make it because several of his future teammates would be in town for the weekend.
“You never want to just stay away from home for a long time,” Knight stated. “I had to come back up here and link back up with the guys. I know Jerome (Bettis Jr.), Elijah (Burress), Shaun (Terry II), James (Flanigan), Owen (Strebig) and Derek Meadows will be up here this weekend.”
And yes, Knight threw Meadows into the group of commits as he plans to have his recruiting hat on this weekend in hopes of locking down the 6-foot-5 receiver from Las Vegas.
“He’s going to see it for himself in practice,” Knight said of his message to Meadows. “Once he sees practice and what Coach (Mike) Denbrock has those guys doing, he’s going to love it.
“You want to surround yourself with elite players to help you get better. I know I’ll push him to get better if he comes to Notre Dame. I know Jerome, Elijah and Shaun will do the same thing.”
Meadows won’t be the only big-time recruit on campus this weekend as Notre Dame is expected to host several of the nation’s top prospects. (Visit List)
Notre Dame holds the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2025 and Knight has paved the way with his relentless recruiting.
“Mark Zackery, I think he will be here this weekend, so we’ll try to lock the door on him,” Knight stated when asked who else he was recruiting. “Dallas Golden. That’s my dawg. I’ve been chopping it up with him for a couple days straight now. Damien Shanklin, too. We have to get him.”
Knight is also excited about the future of the Irish offense. He’s well-aware of the Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison flashing as freshmen, but Knight has his eyes on the freshmen class as well.
“It’s going to be great to share the field with those guys,” Knight said. “I’ll know they’ll be here when I get here. The same with guys with like Cam Williams and Aneyas (Williams), those are guys I talk to and they tell me great stuff.”
The visit will also allow Knight to connect with Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Marcus Freeman, Gino Guidguli and Chad Bowden have developed strong relationships with the George County star, but Knight will be able to sit down with Denbrock for the second time on campus and he’s already got the attention of the dual-threat signal-caller.
“It’s exciting because he’s had guys that played quarterback and run his offense who have been drafted,” said Knight. “Jayden (Daniels) just won a Heisman and will probably be the second pick in the draft this year. Those are things I want to do in my career. I know he’s the right guy to help me do that.”
The Mississippi native is also looking forward to chopping it up with Freeman and the rest of the staff.
“I think it’s always been great,” Knight said of his relationship with Freeman. “Coach Freeman, that’s my guy. He’s going to stay tapped in with me. He’ll call me out of the blue. It’s steady with those guys - Coach Gino (Guidugli), Coach Freeman, Chad (Bowden) and Coach Denbrock. It’s been great.”
Freeman knows the importance of recruiting, especially at the quarterback position. It’s why he made the trip to Mississippi to check on his future quarterback, which was a significant deal to Knight.
“It meant a lot,” explained Knight. “If a coach hits the road to come to see you, it just shows that you’re a priority. I’m already committed and he doesn’t have to do things like that. Him coming down there and going to sit with my family, it means a lot.”
The trip will be beneficial for Notre Dame as the Irish look to hold off Alabama and Ole Miss. Both programs are working hard to flip his commitment, but it’s these trips that remind Knight why he chose Notre Dame.
“First off, the culture and the history,” Knight stated. “Everywhere you go, you hear about it. If somebody sees an ND logo, they are going to talk about it. Notre Dame fans are everywhere across the world, so it’s global.
“Football is second. That’s why I came here - to play football. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything with you. The football culture and history, we’re going to compete for championships year in and year out and we have the best coaches to do it with Coach (Al) Golden and Coach Denbrock.”
When it comes to Notre Dame’s message, it’s a simple one and one Knight has taken to heart.
“Coach (Gerad) Parker, our old offensive coordinator, used to tell me I picked Notre Dame for all the right reasons,” explained Knight. “It’s just staying true to that. I picked Notre Dame for the culture and the coaches are all great people. Just stay true. Everybody is going to try and come with their pitch and what they can do for you, but just stay true.”
Knight also admits that he’s having fun with the recruiting process and the calls he takes from other schools are a sign of respect.
“The recruiting process is fun,” said Knight. “It’s stressful for a lot of people, so I’m not going it’s not there, but it’s kind of fun. You get this chance once in a lifetime. It’s been great. I’ll take the call. I’m never going to try to big-time a guy or anything like that.
“I know where I committed to.”
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