He was only in the program one year, but he made a huge impact on everyone.
And now he is off to the NFL.
Demetrius Knight Jr., the now 25-year-old linebacker who transferred into South Carolina from Charlotte for his final year of collegiate eligibility, went 49th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2025 NFL Draft.
South Carolina was Knight’s third stop in a winding college career which also included playing time at Georgia Tech and Charlotte, but it was the place he significantly elevated his draft stock. His substantial experience and maturity instantly made him both a quick fan favorite and one of the leaders of a talented defense, wearing the green dot and directing traffic in the heart of Clayton White’s 4-2-5 scheme.
Knight earned several honors as a Gamecock. He was named a Rex Enright Team Captain, a Joe Morrison MVP for the defense and was the team’s most outstanding senior. He also authored a signature moment not just for himself but for the program, one that will make him a legend in Columbia forever.
In the final moments of the Clemson game, his diving interception off a tipped pass clinched South Carolina’s 17-14 rivalry victory in dramatic fashion.
He finished second on the team with 82 tackles and forced three fumbles, two in the dominant win at Oklahoma and one in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois.
His selection snaps something of a mini-drought for Gamecock linebackers. He is the first one to earn a selection since Ernest Jones in 2021 and prior to that only one — T.J. Brunson in 2020 — had earned an NFL draft pick since 2013.
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