LB Depth Begins Rebuild With Charlotte's Demetrius Knight

South Carolina picked up its third commitment of the day when Charlotte's leading tackler from the 2023 season, Demetrius Knight, announced his commitment. Knight started his career at Georgia Tech, where he was recruited as a QB, and meandered his way up the depth chart as he tried to transition to life as an LB, but Knight didn't fully break out until he transferred to Charlotte, where he compiled 96 total tackles, including 5.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks for the 49ers in 2023.

Knight also proved to be a speedy option in pass defense, where he hauled in 3 interceptions, and used his 6'2" frame to cover RBs and WRs. The Gamecocks are getting a polished LB who has proven he can make an impact on a college football field, and is coming off his best season. He even used his explosiveness for a defensive touchdown for the 49ers this past season.

At Georgia Tech, he also played in 36 games across 4 seasons as he was getting his feet wet at the position, and showed flashes with 3 TFL and 2 forced fumbles. With the recent departures of Stone Blanton and Pup Howard, Knight brings and immediate veteran presence to the LB room and arguably is a more complete LB at this stage of his development than those two were. At the very least, Knight should crack the two deep while some of the talented freshman LBs develop from the 2024 class.