Reagan high school is comprised of roughly 3,500 students, all of whom have different stories. One of those kids was Texas A&M quarterback, Trevor Knight.
Knight was a star at Reagan. He dismantled defenses his senior year. He finished that season having thrown for 2,092 yards, 27 touchdowns and rushed for 943 yards and 15 scores. To call Knight electrifying would have been an understatement. This kid was a bonafide star in the making.
Recruiting databases across the country ranked him as the sixth best dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Originally, Knight intended on taking his talents to College Station, TX. He flipped his choice heading into his senior season and went north to Oklahoma.
Knight redshirted his freshman year, and was named the starter for Bob Stoops’ squad in 2013. That season, Knight shined in the post-season, when he led the Sooners to an upset victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl. He had slain the college football giant and displayed his skills on the nation’s biggest stage. Knight threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns.
Going into the 2014 season, expectations were high for Knight. Fans in Norman, Okla. and across the country were expecting a Heisman-like performance every game from the 6-foot-1 gunslinger. During his debut against Louisiana Tech, Knight was average at best. He completed 19 out of his 34 passes for 253 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He rushed the ball four times for 17 yards.
He finished the 2014 campaign totaling 2,300 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Going into 2015, his job as a starter was up for grabs.
Baker Mayfield came in from Texas Tech and won the job, along with the hearts and admiration of Oklahoma fans and coaches. The man who once was a hero for a storied program soon became forgotten. Mayfield went on to lead the Sooners to the Orange Bowl. Knight watched it all from the sidelines.
Knight had a chance to shine during the Sooners 2015 showdown with TCU. Mayfield sustained a concussion and Knight took the field. He didn’t do much. He completed five of his 16 attempts, which led to the Horned Frogs almost staging a comeback victory.
At that point, Knight found himself as the third quarterback on the depth chart. It was time for a change.
Knight graduated from Oklahoma and was granted a full release from the program. He had one year of eligibility left to make a name for himself as a graduate transfer. When it came down to it, he chose Texas A&M. Knight wanted to come back to the state where his football story began. He wanted to write the final chapter of this story like a Western, where the cowboy rides off in the sunset leaving his past behind.
The situation seemed perfect. At the time Kyler Murray had decided to transfer from A&M and wanted to go to Oklahoma. It was sort of like a college football trade. The Aggies were in desperate need of a new leader. Since the Johnny Manziel era, Aggies fans have been teased with small showings of great play from quarterbacks like Kenny Hill (who also transferred- TCU), but there was no consistency. Kyle Allen had a chance to shine against Alabama, but suffered an AC sprain. He decided to transfer to Houston in Dec. of 2015.
Knight earned the respect a quarterback deserves from his teammates immediately. They told numerous media outlets that it felt like they have known him forever. What isn’t there to like about Knight? This is a guy who raised a substantial amount of money to help a family whose young daughter lost her battle to cancer. He’ll always be that guy who beat Bama too.
But, he’s more than that. He is a leader, a true Texan and game changer. That was evident in the Aggies week one showdown against UCLA. Knight was methodical in his dissection of UCLA. The Aggies were unranked and taunted by the No. 16 Bruins. UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen went as far as saying that he wouldn’t be phased by the loud and rowdy fans at Kyle Field.
With the support of Aggie nation, Knight went out there like a true cowboy would, put his guns up and fired away. It was a dual that went into over time. The Aggies blew a 15 point lead, but
Knight stayed calm. With 4:19 left in overtime, Knight scrambled for a yard into the end zone. In this duel, the San Antonio kid got the final shot that left the Bruins in the dust. He finished the game with some respectable stats: 22-42, 239 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT.
Trevor Knight was able to ride off into the sunset this time with the support of 102,733 fans rooting for him. A story of a kid who left Texas and came back is starting to finally to come together.
