Tyrice Knight
American football player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tyrice Knight (born December 20, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Independence Pirates and UTEP Miners and was selected by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Lakeland, Florida, U.S.
| No. 48 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | December 20, 2000 Lakeland, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 233 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Lake Gibson (Lakeland, Florida) | ||||||||||||
| College | Independence CC (2018–2019) UTEP (2020–2023) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2024: 4th round, 118th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||
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Early life
Knight was born in Lakeland, Florida where he attended high school at Lake Gibson. In his junior season, Knight racked up 128 tackles with 61 being solo tackles.[1] Coming out of high school, Knight would decide to commit to play college football at Independence Community College.[2][3]
College career
Independence CC
In Knight's career at Independence CC, Knight notched 58 tackles with four being for a loss, two fumble recoveries, four pass deflections, and five interceptions.[4]
UTEP
After spending two years at Independence CC, Knight decided to commit to play Division I football for the UTEP Miners.[5][6] In Knight's first season with UTEP in 2020, he totaled 54 tackles with two and a half going for a loss, and a sack.[7] Knight finished the 2021 season with 102 tackles, where he was named Third-Team All Conference-USA.[8] In the 2022 season, Knight totaled 95 tackles with six and a half going for a loss, one sack, an interception, five pass deflections, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, and a touchdown.[9] Heading into the 2023 season, Knight was named to the Butkus and Bednarik award watch lists.[10][11] In week three of the 2023 season, Knight was named the Conference USA defensive player of the week after posting 14 tackles against Northwestern.[12] Knight finished the 2023 season with 140 tackles with 15.5 going for a loss, four and half sacks, seven pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.[13] Knight would accept an invite to play in the 2024 Senior Bowl.[14]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) | 233 lb (106 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 8+3⁄8 in (2.04 m) | 4.63 s | 1.54 s | 2.68 s | 4.40 s | 7.25 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | 21 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Knight was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 4th round (118th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft.[17]
Knight took over starting duties mid-way through the 2024 season. He was one of only two defensive players in the 2024 season to receive recognition as the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week in Week 14 for his 12 tackles and 2 pass deflections.[18]
In his second season, during a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Knight forced two fumbles against Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett, both of which were returned for touchdowns by teammate DeMarcus Lawrence.[19] Knight played in Super Bowl LX, a 29–13 win over the New England Patriots.[20]