Having just received an award, reflected on other personal accomplishments, and discussed his team’s upcoming College Football Playoff berth, Alonza Barnett III had plenty of reason to express excitement.
But arguably the biggest grin from the James Madison quarterback during a press conference this week followed a question that had nothing to do with him.
He was asked if there was anything his teammate, JMU star running back Wayne Knight, couldn’t do on the football field.
“Nah, nah,” he said with a laugh. “there’s nothing he can’t do.”
It’s hard to argue with that. Knight, a Group of Five first-team All-American all-purpose player, has been the catalyst for JMU’s offense – and special teams – in the Dukes’ historical 2025 campaign. As the Sun Belt champion, JMU (12-1) is the No. 12 seed in the College Football Playoff and will play at No. 5 Oregon (11-1) in the first round at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
“A lot of outside noise and things going on,” Knight said, “but just being able to stay true to who we are and what we’ve done up to this point to prepare and put ourselves in this situation.”
Knight is 10th in the country with 1,263 rushing yards while scoring nine touchdowns on 190 carries. But he wasn’t the JMU running back with preseason hype. George Pettaway was expected to be the star in the backfield for the Dukes.
But Knight, who rushed for 464 yards in his previous three seasons at JMU, earned a larger role in 2025 as Pettaway dealt with an early-season injury. After tallying 12 carries in the first two games of the season, Knight has totaled double-digit rushing attempts every game since then.
“I think everything’s kind of stayed the same,” Knight said of what it took to be ready for his increased role. “Whether I was a huge contributor to this offense or not, preparation remains the same. You have to prepare as though you’re going to be the starter. Prepare as though you’re going to take on a huge workload.”
Knight became the focal point of a JMU offense that’s top five in the country with 245.8 rushing yards per game and second in average time of possession.
But Knight does much more than run the ball. Catching passes out of the backfield, he’s top five in the country with 379 receiving yards among running backs and top 10 with 37 receptions while ranking first with 2.04 yards per route run.
He’s also 21st in the FBS with 180 punt return yards on 19 attempts. He tallied 89 kick return yards, but that was early in the season when he wasn’t JMU’s lead back.
“That guy’s a beast. He’s a dog,” Barnett said. “He means the world to this team and especially to me. Just a guy that our journeys and our paths have kind of been very similar. We’ve been in similar situations, just with the coaching staff change and things of that nature, having to fight and kick and scratch for the opportunity to be able to maximize that opportunity and get over setbacks and mishaps and things of that nature.
“That guy’s a special guy. He’s a special human being and, just like the rest of the guys in this building, it’s an honor and a pleasure to be around them.”
Knight is both versatile and explosive.
Among FBS running backs with at least 150 rushing attempts, Knight is third in the country with 6.7 yards per attempt, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s fifth with 20 runs of 15-plus yards and is top five with a breakaway percentage of 51%. He’s also 16th with 3.77 yards after contact per attempt.
Knight is also in the top 30 in yards after contact (713), missed tackles forced (43), and runs of 10-plus yards (29).
His ability to break tackles was never more evident during the Sun Belt Championship.
The Dukes were trailing 7-3 against Troy and had the ball on their own 27-yard line early in the second quarter. Barnett caught a shotgun snap on first down and immediately handed the ball off to Knight. He cut to the right and was met by a defender near the line of scrimmage.
But instead of falling over like so many running backs might, he spun out of the tackle and kept his feet moving. And even after another opponent moved toward him, Knight maintained his balance. Then he lowered his pads and barreled forward when two more defenders tried to take him down and remained on his feet when they fell to the ground.
At that point, no one else was left for Troy. Knight took off for a 73-yard touchdown run and helped the Dukes win their first Sun Belt title.
“Just being able to have first, second, third efforts,” Knight said. “It just became our DNA as the season went on and as they continued to work together. You find yourself in tough situations and you’re battling and you continue to drive your legs. All of a sudden, plays pop.”
Knight is first in PFF’s grades among running backs for receiving. As a returner, he’s tied for 14th in PFF’s grades.
Even as a blocker, Knight is one of the best at his position. He’s 20th in PFF’s grades among RBs for pass blocking.
“He’s a game-changer in general,” JMU offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said. “He’s a mismatch problem. He’s done a great job of getting the ball out of the back field. He’s done a great job of running in between the tackles, running our perimeter run game. He’s a true third-down back. There’s no real reason to take him off. He can do everything that we ask him to do. And I think he’s been huge because even if we are in those situations where we have to run the ball with him being on the football field, you still have to have a plan for him in the pass game.
“And that’s where even if we get into those games, we still have the ability to find a way to get him the football. And I think that’s where his game has grown. And he’s done a great job of understanding all the situations, first, second, third down. There is no real reason to take him off the field.”
When he can do so much, no one would blame JMU for wanting Knight on the field as much as possible at Oregon.
