SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame commit Deuce Knight, Rivals' top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2025 class, arrived at South Bend International Airport late Wednesday night just shy of midnight.
His flight from Charlotte, N.C. was slightly delayed, but his visit to Notre Dame wasn't scheduled to start until Thursday morning. He'll be on campus into Saturday as the Irish get ready to host several 2025 commits and targets in the 2025 and 2026 classes.
It will be Knight's fifth visit to Notre Dame since committing to the Irish in September. He was last on campus in January for the football program's junior day event.
Inside ND Sports was among those who caught up with Knight prior to his visit. A lightly edited transcript of that interview session is below.
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Why was it important for you to get back up to Notre Dame this week?
Knight: “You never want to just stay away from home for a long time. I had to come back up here, link back up with the guys. I know Jerome [Bettis Jr.], Elijah [Burress], Shaun [Terry], James [Flanigan], Owen [Strebig] and Derek Meadows, they’re all going to be up here this weekend. I had to come back up and link with those guys for sure.”
What’s going to be your message to 2025 wide receiver target Derek Meadows this week?
Knight: “He’s going to see it for himself in practice. Once he sees practice and what he sees Coach [Mike] Denbrock has those guys out there doing, he’s going to love it, for sure. You want to surround yourself with elite players to help you get better. I know I’m going to push him to get better if he comes to Notre Dame. I know Jerome, Elijah and Shaun will do the same thing.”
Why is exciting to have an offensive coordinator like Mike Denbrock knowing he’s worked with LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels and Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder?
Knight: “Shoot, just what you said right there. It’s exciting, because he’s had guys that played quarterback and run his offense for him that’s been draft picks. Jayden just won a Heisman and is probably going to 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.”
How has your relationship with head coach Marcus Freeman grown since you committed?
“It’s always been great. Coach Freeman, that’s my guy, for sure. He’s going to stay tapped in with me. He’ll just give me a call out of the blue. It’s just steady talking to those guys every day: Coach Gino [Guidugli], Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Chad [Bowden] and Coach Denbrock. It’s been great.”
What did it mean to you when he came down to your basketball game?
“It means a lot. If a coach hits the road to come to see you, and not just come see you once but come see you twice, it just shows that you’re a priority. I’m already committed. He doesn’t have to do things like that. Him coming down there, steady doing that, sitting with my family and things like that, it means a lot to a person.”
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What are some of the things that entice you about Notre Dame?
“First off, the culture and the history. Everywhere you go, you hear about it. If somebody sees an ND logo, they are going to talk about it. Notre Dame fans, they’re everywhere across the world. The brand is global. Football is second. That’s why I came here, to play football. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything with you. You know with the football culture and football history, we’re going to compete for championships year in and year out and we’re going to get the best coaches to do it. We got Coach [Al] Golden and we got Coach Denbrock.”
How much have you been following the first couple of spring practices?
“I haven’t really watched any of practice. I’ve seen clips here and there. Just talking with Coach Gino, he said him watching practice, he’s seen it and he’s already been around Coach Denbrock. So, it’s not his first time seeing it. But he said he watches practice and he gets excited about it with the stuff they’re doing.”
How enticing is it with some of the younger guys that are on the roster like Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison to be able to share a team guys like that?
“For sure. It’s going to be great to share the field with those guys. I know they’ll be here when I get here, just because they have to finish out their eligibility to be draft-eligible. The same with guys with like Cam Williams and Aneyas [Williams], those are guys I talk to and they all tell me great stuff.”
Who are some of the other guys you’re recruiting other than Meadows?
“Mark Zackery, I think he’s going to be here this weekend, so we’ll try to lock the door in on Mark. Dallas Golden, that’s my dog. I’ve been chopping it up with him probably for a couple days straight now. Damien Shanklin, too. We have to get him, for sure.”
As schools like Alabama and Ole Miss continue to contact you, what has Notre Dame’s message been throughout the process?
“It’s just stay true. Coach [Gerad] Parker, our old offensive coordinator, used to tell me all the time that I picked Notre Dame for all the right reasons. It’s just staying true to that. I picked Notre Dame for Notre Dame, for the culture, for the coaches — they’re all great people. Just stay true. Everybody is going to try and come in with their pitch and what they can do for you and things like that, but just stay true.”
What is that like for someone in your shoes? You feel like you have to take that call but you’re committed to Notre Dame. What’s it like juggling all that?
“The recruiting process is fun. It’s stressful for a lot of people, so I’m not going to say it’s not a little bit, but it’s kind of fun. You only get this chance once in a lifetime. It’s been great to me. I’ll take the call. I’m never going to try to big-time a guy or anything like that. But I know where I committed to.”
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