'Best linebacker I've been around': Tyrice Knight takes star turn in fourth season at UTEP

What is Tyrice Knight doing playing football for UTEP?

There are several meanings to that question and several related answers.

Taken literally, what's he's doing at UTEP is playing linebacker at an extraordinary level, one that earned him Conference USA defensive player of the week honors after a 38-7 loss to Northwestern. That almost never happens unless the player in question does something like record 14 tackles.

More: C-USA football standings

Why no trip through the portal?

Taking a step back, as UTEP prepares for its trip to Arizona, why isn't the nation's second-leading tackler playing for someone like Arizona, or some other Pac-12 or Big 12 school? There would have been plenty of choices for someone eligible for the transfer portal after two outstanding years as a Miner in 2021 and '22.

A quick answer is that they didn't want Knight then and he doesn't want them now.

UTEP was "the only team that recruited me out of JUCO, I had to return the favor and stay with them," said Knight, whose 43 tackles leads the nation (he's second nationally in tackles a game with 14.3). "I have a lot of friends here, family, I don’t want to leave them. You can make all your dreams come true any place, I didn’t see a reason to leave.

"I’ve always been underrecruited my whole life. After college, then out of JUCO trying to get D-Is, no one was looking at me, but it’s always been like that so it doesn’t really upset me, it just pushes me harder."

What's almost unanswerable is why no one else jumped on him out of Independence Community College in Kansas, or for that matter out of Lakeland High in Florida after his 2017 season. He's always produced, he has the frame (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) to play in the NFL, and the grades to play most places. He currently has a UTEP degree in multidisciplinary studies.

More: How can UTEP score more points and make big plays?

'Best linebacker I've ever been around'

When Dimel went to recruit him at Independence in 2019, he was there the same day as Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy and Western Kentucky's Tyson Helton, neither of whom were after Knight.

What did they miss that Dimel saw?

"I was trying to sneak T around so the other coaches wouldn’t see him," Dimel said. "I didn’t want them to see what this guy looks like then match his film to what he was able to do."

As for what he's able to do, "Tyrice Knight is the best linebacker I’ve ever been around in 22 years of power-5 and 12 years as a head coach," Dimel said. "He’s the best of all the good players I’ve been around.

"He’s a fantastic person, he really cares about his team, he does everything the way you want him to do it, he does it really well. He’s got his degree, he’s got his education, he checks every box you want in a person and a football player."

Part of what worked in UTEP's advantage is an unintended consequence of the transfer portal. Junior college players, and to some extent high school players, are finding it harder during recruiting as many schools just scour the portal looking for instant, proven help.

The Miners have dramatically increased their talent through the junior college ranks, just as junior colleges have increased their talent by taking high school players once unavailable to them.

Knight seems to be an extreme end of the bell curve, compounded in a good way for UTEP with his unwillingness to avail himself to the transfer portal that played an indirect way in leading him here.

Now in his fourth year — he arrived as a sophomore and availed himself of the free COVID year — Knight is playing at a higher level than ever after being one of the team's top two tacklers the previous three years. Barring injury he'll leave UTEP as one of its top-10 all-time tacklers.

More: UTEP football looking to eliminate errors, hit more big plays against Arizona

Working it out

Knight attributes all that to work.

"It started out the summer, June, July, a lot of grinding, early mornings, late afternoons," he said. "It all came from the summer, it got me performing how I’m performing now. It all started two months ago.

"I just try to control how I prepare myself throughout the week. Take Monday through Thursday very well, that makes the game easy. Watch the film, know what’s coming, know the opponent so you know what’s coming before it happens.

"I have better recognition now, I’m bigger and stronger. I’ve learned to use my hands more. I’ve learned a lot in my career, the game has slowed down, all the experience has helped make me better."

His teammates see that.

"T-Knight is a reactive dude," said James Neal, the fourth starting linebacker Knight has played beside in four years in the two-linebacker system. "He’s smart, he gets to the plays fast, he has a good nose for the ball.

"He’s more of a lead by example type of guy. He’s going to get the job done, so if you watch him, you can get the job done yourself."

Dimel said he believes that will continue well beyond this year.

"I think he’ll be a starter in the NFL," he said. "Whoever takes him is going to get a way better player than they expected to get."

That's been the case throughout Knight's remarkable career.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Tyrice Knight taking star turn in fourth season at UTEP