Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 27-24@ Florida State | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 0 | 18 | |
| Wk 2 | W 56-10vs UC Davis | 3 | 62 | 20.7 | 0 | 33 | |
| Wk 3 | L 31-41@ Louisville | 7 | 70 | 10.0 | 1 | 19 | Season-high 70 yds |
| Total | 16 | 181 | 13.0 | 1 | 33 |
#8
Yamir Knight
Yamir Knight packed up and started over at SMU — the fit is the whole question.
5′8″ · 186 lb · Smyrna, DE
CFB Index 63 · #111 of 485 WRsHigh confidence
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
181
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Backed by 7 rec · 162 yds · 1 TD -- top 1% receiving yards game. -- Best game: 7 rec, 70 yds, 1 TD, at Louisville
The play that turned itSwung SMU from 29% to 66% to win.Miami at SMU · 26-20
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior wide receiver for SMU. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed with James Madison in 2023.
- Transferred from James Madison to SMU in 2025.
Yamir Knight
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Yamir Knight arrives at SMU with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
181REC YDS16REC1REC TD
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was on the field for 4 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
The week the volume broke through — put up 162 yds at Boston College.Boston College · W 45-132025
20236 games
- Signed with James Madisonout of Smyrna
202513 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coach2023–2026
Played his entire career under Rhett Lashlee.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SMU | 16 | 181 | 11.3 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | SMU | 54 | 637 | 11.8 | 5 | -- |
| 2024 | James Madison | 52 | 605 | 11.6 | 4 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 8 | 73 | 9.1 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 130 | 1,496 | 11.5 | 10 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SMU | -- | -- | -- | 26 | -- |
| 2025 | SMU | 1 | 2 | -- | 168 | -- |
| 2024 | James Madison | 1 | 1 | -- | 145 | -- |
| 2023 | James Madison | 1 | -1 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 3 | 2 | -- | 339 | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Yamir Knight's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 27–24
6 rec · 49 yds
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.
With K. Jennings — 430 yds · 3 TD · 2 INT · QBR 95.6 · 33 rush yds (5 car) · D. Green — 43 rush yds (13 car)
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · UC Davis · 3&5 · Q2 · EPA +3.26(05:00) Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short middle to #8 Y.Knight caught at `SMU42, for 24 yards to the UCD41 (#11 D.Cofield; #10 D.Faulkner), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Louisville · 2&15 · Q3 · EPA +3.04(08:26) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short left to #8 Y.Knight caught at SMU42, for 18 yards to the LOU39 (#1 J.Mack), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · UC Davis · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.72(13:57) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete deep right to #8 Y.Knight caught at UCD45, for 33 yards to the UCD39 (#26 J.Brown), 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Louisville · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +2.60(13:18) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short right to #8 Y.Knight caught at LOU07, for 19 yards to the LOU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 13:12, 1ST DOWN #99 N.Reed kick attempt good (H: #43 W.McSparron, LS: #48 M.Tribbett)
- Week 3 · Louisville · 2&15 · Q2 · EPA +1.20(00:24) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short middle to #8 Y.Knight caught at LOU31, for 11 yards to the LOU29 (#6 S.Clark; #4 T.Banks)
- Week 3 · Louisville · 2&10 · Q3 · EPA +0.93(09:51) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short right to #8 Y.Knight caught at SMU20, for 10 yards to the SMU24 (#11 T.Capers), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 3 · Louisville · 3&4 · Q4 · EPA -0.19(04:29) Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short right to #8 Y.Knight caught at SMU33, for 3 yards to the SMU34 (#4 T.Banks), out of bounds
- Week 2 · UC Davis · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.07(10:23) Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short middle to #8 Y.Knight caught at `SMU06, for 5 yards to the `SMU15 (#44 N.Afato)
- Week 3 · Louisville · 2&9 · Q4 · EPA +0.05(05:05) No Huddle-Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short middle to #8 Y.Knight caught at SMU30, for 5 yards to the SMU31 (#9 A.Watts)
- Week 3 · Louisville · 3&5 · Q1 · EPA -0.03(12:16) Shotgun #7 K.Jennings pass complete short left to #8 Y.Knight caught at LOU07, for 4 yards to the LOU02 (#11 T.Capers)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +70 receiving yards, +7 catches, +1 receiving TD.
Season context · Team result + system
2023James Madison11-2HC: Damian Wroblewski · Balanced
2024James Madison9-4HC: Bob Chesney · Run-leaning
2025SMU9-4HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced
2026SMU2-1HC: Rhett Lashlee · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score percentiles
High confidence
Concern: long catch (27th percentile).
Box-score rates (6)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 3.0 | 62.0 | 20.7 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 6.5 | 59.5 | 9.1 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 60.3 | 13.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Rhett Lashlee
Pass share
50.7%
103 pass / 100 run
Plays / game
67.7
3 games
Team sack rate
2.9%
104 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-ACC
Based on 2025: #16 of 64 ACC WRs
How the All-ACC estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Possession Receiver
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
WR
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Quadree Henderson’s 2016 season.
Matches Quadree on
Weight
Height
Yards / reception
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Chance Peterson’s path through North Carolina Central.
Matches Chance on
Yards per reception
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Mekhi Mews's senior season at Houston (2024).
Matches Mekhi on
Total EPA (college ability)
Yards / reception
TD rate
Differs from Mekhi on
EPA / play (adj) (higher)
Reception volume (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Yamir Knight
The receiver room · SMU
- #8Yamir Knight637 receiving yards · 2025
- #3Yannick Smith583 receiving yards · 2025
- #10Jalen Cooper321 receiving yards · 2025
- Derrick McFall160 receiving yards · 2025
- #11Carterrious Brown25 receiving yards · 2025
9 more on the roster · SMU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology