DT Connor Knight (6-3 275) of Trussville, AL recently named his top 11 schools and USC was on his list. Knight spent three days on campus and in Columbia for the spring game weekend. He is being courted by defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey and area recruiter Jody Wright and has hit it off well with each.
“I have a great relationship with Coach Lindsey, but my relationship with Coach Wright was the main reason why,” Knight said. “We played Madden together when I went down there. Blew em out too. We had a lot of fun. He’s a fun guy to be around.”
Knight said he also watched Lindsey work with his players at the spring game and he liked how he handled the guys, and how they respond to him.
“He has a great coaching style. You can tell a lot of his players feed off of it too,” Knight said. “I could tell that when I was down there for the spring game. He was down there doing warmups and they were all excited to be around him and bounced off his energy.”
With his size and strength, Knight said Lindsey sees him as an inside run stuffer for his defensive line.
“They want me to play inside, a one and a three, an inside guy,” Knight said. “I’m real strong. I’m real violent with my hands. I think I’m one of the best, underrated run-stoppers in the nation.”
The other programs on the short list with Knight are Kentucky, Arkansas, Maryland, Jackson State, FAMU, Miami, USF, Missouri, Florida State and Western Kentucky. He also has visited Kentucky, Western Kentucky and Miami.
Knight plans to take official visits to Maryland, Missouri and Houston in June. He’s been talking with Wright and Lindsey about an official to USC as well.
“They were talking about sometime in June or July,” he said. “I don’t have to take an official to commit there. I could commit there and then take it during the season because it’s not far. And I was just there for two to three days.”
Knight added that his plan is to get his recruiting over with by the end of summer.
“I want to have a decision by the end of July, early August,” Knight said. “Just basically whoever recruits me the hardest, and wherever I can see myself going to a school where it’s more of a family vibe, and where I can see myself coming back twenty years after I’m done playing.”
Knight suffered an MCL injury on the opening drive of the first game of last season, but he returned for the final three games. He finished the season with 25 tackles and three sacks.
