One time Duke commit, State running back Bam Knight, faces Blue Devils for the first time
Dave Doeren could easily be preparing to stop Zonovan “Bam” Knight this weekend instead of coaching him.
Knight, like so many players in this weekend’s N.C. State-Duke rivalry game, is from the state of North Carolina and grew up following both programs. Also similar to so many players on both sides, Knight had offers from both schools.
In fact Knight was almost a Blue Devil. Unofficially, he was. As a junior at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, Knight, one of the top running backs in the state, verbally committed to Duke to play for David Cutcliffe. At the time, Knight’s verbal to the Blue Devils was considered one of the biggest commitments during Cutcliffe’s tenure.
As a junior for the Firebirds, Knight rushed for 1,877 yards and 27 touchdowns. However, he suddenly had a change of heart.
The summer before his senior season Knight decommitted from Duke. Two months later Knight verbally committed to Dave Doeren and N.C. State.
“We never stopped recruiting him,” Doeren said. “It didn’t feel like when it happened (his commitment to Duke) that it was something that would last because it felt emotional at the time as opposed to something he had been thinking through for a long period of time.”
Doeren said they don’t “negative recruit” or talk bad about other schools. Doeren also added the Knight made multiple unofficial visits to N.C. State before making his final choice, just to make sure that was exactly what he wanted.
“We just wanted to make sure he understood all that N.C. State had to offer,” Doeren said. “Thankful for us he (committed).”
From Duke to NC State
Knight, who has rushed for 321 yards in four games this season, might have a little more pep in his step this Saturday.
He said this game is a chance to show the Blue Devils what they could have had. Nothing bad happened that caused him to flip from Duke to N.C. State, but this will be the first time that Cutcliffe will get a close look at the player who could have been one of his.
Knight said it was close between the Blue Devils and Wolfpack when it came to his recruiting process.
“It was extremely hard,” Knight said about his decommitment and choice to attend N.C. State.
What made it tough was he committed to Duke pretty early. He said he had a great visit and the selling point was attending the Blue Devils’ home basketball contest versus North Carolina inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“You can imagine how that atmosphere was,” Knight jokes.
Knight became close with Duke offensive guard Jacob Monk, who played at Corinth Holders and defensive back Tony Davis, who turned out to be the top player in the Blue Devils’ class of 2019. Like Knight, Davis committed then decommitted from Duke, before re-picking the Blue Devils.
“There are relationships they have on that other sideline,” Doeren said. “I can see how that can be a motivational factor for a guy.”
Knight said he’s spoken to both Monk and Davis recently and it’s all been friendly.
“It hasn’t even been any trash talk,” Knight said. “No bad vibes, just catching up, basically.”
NC State the right fit
N.C. State and Duke weren’t the only schools making the ride to Bailey, located about 35 minutes from Raleigh, to recruit Knight.
Knight also had offers from UNC, UVA, ECU and Tennessee as he entered his senior year. Of course growing up in eastern North Carolina, he was surrounded by people who were fans of various North Carolina-based schools.
Picking between Duke and N.C. State, from all the in-state schools, really, was tough for Knight when there are constantly people in your ear with opinions.
When it came down to it, though, he knew Raleigh was the right fit.
“Everybody was telling me where to go,” Knight said. “It came down to me visiting all those schools and seeing where I felt comfortable. For me it came down to Duke and State because those were the two places where I felt most at home.”
And even though he didn’t ultimately choose Duke, Knight still has a special place in his heart for Cutcliffe.
“I love that man to death,” Knight said. “He was the most down to earth person you could meet. Even when I decommitted I had the conversation with him before I announced it, he was the most understanding person I could talk to about it. He understood the decision and respected that I came to him first. I’ve always respected him.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 11:20 AM.
