After moving from linebacker to quarterback in the spring, Georgia Tech’s Demetrius Knight was back at linebacker Friday on the first day of preseason practice.
Knight played quarterback at Strong Rock Christian School in Henry County and was recruited to play the position for former coach Paul Johnson. He was switched to linebacker in 2019 upon his arrival to campus and played there for two seasons as a backup. Knight then chose to give quarterback a try this spring as the team was short on numbers following the transfers of James Graham and Tucker Gleason.
However, Knight chose to return to defense, where linebacker and safety are both possibilities. The transfer of quarterback Trad Beatty from Temple (coach Geoff Collins’ previous employer) likely factored in, too.
“(Knight) did a really good job in the spring trying out playing quarterback and just saw a need to be back on the defensive side of the ball,” Collins said.
Collins praised Knight for his work ethic and status as one of the top weightlifters on the team. He called Knight, one of the better athletes on the team, “an NFL player” at whatever position he decides to play.
“He just wants to play,” Collins said. “He just wants to help the team and, just knowing Demetrius, if it was playing safety, if it was playing linebacker, if it was playing quarterback, he would do anything to help this team. He is such a good dude, and I’m blessed that we get to coach him.”
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