NC State loses another RB to NFL draft. Zonovan Knight won’t return for Pack in 2022
While ‘Run It Back’ has been the motto for so many N.C. State football players over the last month, the Wolfpack’s starting running back won’t be back in 2022.
Zonovan ‘Bam’ Knight announced Thursday that he will forgo his remaining eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft.
There has been speculation since the end of the regular season that the Bailey, N.C. native would turn pro. Knight now joins Ricky Person Jr., his partner in the backfield, who announced in November he was declaring for the NFL draft.
Knight made his impact felt on special teams in a big way in 2021. He returned kickoffs for touchdowns in back-to-back games against Syracuse and Wake Forest. Those two returns gave him three kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career. His kickoff return average was 35.2 yards per return, the best in school history and second in the Football Bowl Subdivision this year.
His three kickoff returns for touchdowns ranks third in school history. This season Knight was a first-team All-ACC specialist and a CBS Sports first-team All-American.
For his career, Knight averaged 5.45 yards per carry, first in the N.C. State record books. He’s 11th in all-purpose yards (3,546) and 12th in rushing (2,286).
Knight started all 12 games in 2021 (13 for his career) and has 18 career touchdowns on the ground. In 2021, he led the Pack in rushing with 765 yards on 140 attempts. He also caught 21 passes for 156 yards.
With both Knight and Person gone, the running back position will be the one with the biggest question mark for the N.C. State offense.
The Knight and Person duo combined for 275 of the team’s 372 rushing attempts this season. Jordan Houston and Delbert Mimms, likely next in line to start, combined for just 26 carries in 2021. The coaching staff is also high on true freshman Demie Sumo, who appeared in seven games this year, all on special teams. N.C. State signed one running back in the class of 2022, J.H. Rose High four-star prospect Michael Allen.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 5:07 PM.
