Knight to walk on at Northeastern State

Bud Sullins/Special to Siloam Sunday Siloam Springs senior football player Jackson Knight signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play football as a preferred walk-on at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. Pictured are, front from left, mother Beth Knight, Jackson Knight, father Frank Knight; back, former Siloam Springs head football coach Bryan Ross and sister Whitlee Knight.
Bud Sullins/Special to Siloam Sunday Siloam Springs senior football player Jackson Knight signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play football as a preferred walk-on at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla. Pictured are, front from left, mother Beth Knight, Jackson Knight, father Frank Knight; back, former Siloam Springs head football coach Bryan Ross and sister Whitlee Knight.

Jackson Knight wanted to play college football but up until a week ago it didn't look like that he was going to get that opportunity.

Then last week, Knight got a phone call from coaches at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla.

The Riverhawks were wanting Knight -- a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive tackle for Siloam Springs -- to walk on to their team.

Knight made it official with Northeastern State on Wednesday in a signing ceremony.

"I got a call and it kind of changed everything," Knight said. "I think if anything it's made me more hungry, from going to no offers to now I'm signing."

Knight said the Riverhawks would like him to initially lose around 15 pounds, and then gain around 40 pounds after working in the weight room.

He hopes to work hard enough to eventually earn a scholarship.

"That's my goal. I'm going to work hard, and the coaches know that," Wright said. "I think that's why they recruited me. That's my goal is to become a scholarship athlete."

Former Siloam Springs football coach Bryan Ross, who coached Knight his junior and senior year, said Knight has all the physical tools needed to play college football.

"Jackson's got one thing you can't coach," Ross said. "He's a big kid. I think he's still got a lot of football left in front of him. He didn't play as a sophomore. He came back and had to get back into it and made a lot of improvements and wound up starting for us, so he's got some things he's got to work on. He knows that. When you have the size that's something you can't coach. I know every college coach out there wants guys that are physically like him, and Jackson's certainly that."

Sports on 04/15/2018