Wayne Knight
Buzz vs Tape
Rivals warmer than fans
The rival fanbase is unexpectedly warm on him relative to his own.
Tough win in what could be considered a trap game That fake punt given up still irks me because it was so obvious it would happen, still got the win though and that final Wayne Knight td was huge in terms of the eyes of the CFP committee
— Jaylenz0
Also worth knowing:
Wayne Knight
Hits the crease and outruns the angle. Four seasons at James Madison, three different head coaches: Curt Cignetti, Damian Wroblewski and Bob Chesney. 2025 brought the first one: All-Sun Belt. One game to point at: 212 rush yds, 11 rec yds against Troy — Week 15, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM
All-Conf 1st team (2025)
All-Sun Belt
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Curt Cignetti, Damian Wroblewski, and Bob Chesney. Multi-era developmental context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Billy Napier
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE · 1ST TEAM
All-Conf 1st team (2025)
All-Sun Belt
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Madison | 207 | 1,373 | 6.6 | 9 | -- |
| 2024 | James Madison | 77 | 449 | 5.8 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 4 | 23 | 5.8 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | James Madison | 5 | -8 | -1.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 293 | 1,837 | 6.3 | 11 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | James Madison | 40 | 397 | 9.9 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | James Madison | 15 | 138 | 9.2 | 2 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2022 | James Madison | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 61 | 609 | 10.0 | 3 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2025
W 63–27
vs Old Dominion
74 rush yds (12 car) · 1 TD
Dominant 36-point win at home against Old Dominion.
How he plays
Play style
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
James Madison
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Running back · James Madison
Returning around him
- 78% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
- Transfer portal: +7 net (37 in / 30 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
James Madison · Last season: 12-2 (AP #19) · Talent rank #127 · 2026 recruiting class #80
DNA match
Player DNA
Speed Merchant
Cuts upfield fast. Designed to find the crease, not run through the line.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tyler Badie’s 2021 season.
Matches Tyler on
Differs from Tyler on
Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Jahiem White’s path through West Virginia.
Jermar Jefferson
Wesley Kennedy III
Matches Jahiem on
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Raleek Brown's senior season at Arizona State (2025).
Matches Raleek on
Differs from Raleek on
Player DNA
Players who play like Wayne Knight
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #41
Peaked at #41 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · rushing yards
2022–2025-17262%
Sharp dropoff (-17262%) — career inflection point.