By Billy Watkins
If any school in the country understands the need for a quality backup quarterback it’s Ole Miss.
Austin Simmons, anointed during the 2025 preseason as one of the SEC’s best before ever starting a game, suffered a leg injury two games into the season. Fans wondered how the Rebels would fare with a backup running the offense.
We all know how that turned out: Trinidad Chambliss led Ole Miss to a 13-win season and the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs. Chambliss was talented, prepared and didn’t mind the big moments.
Sounds a lot like Deuce Knight, perhaps the Rebels’ latest portal plum. They signed him away from Auburn in December. He was a five-star prospect and the No. 2 dual threat QB nationally in the 2025 recruiting class out of George County High School in Lucedale
Knight will battle in spring training to become the primary backup to Chambliss.
“He’s a super athlete, learns things quickly and loves football,” said George County athletic director James Ray, who coached Knight throughout high school.
A rumor has been going around that Knight is unhappy that Chambliss was granted a preliminary injunction by a Mississippi judge on Feb. 12, clearing the way for him to return in 2026.
Two sources confirmed to me that the rumor is not true.
Knight was recruited by numerous programs out of high school. At the time, he stood 6-4 1/2 and weighed 198. Prior to his senior season, the George County coaches hand-timed him at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash.
“That would probably be around 4.5 if he was timed by a laser,” Ray said. “But what I tell people is, he’s a lot faster than he looks.”
He committed to Notre Dame early in the process.
“His brother played at Indiana, so his parents didn’t mind long commutes to see him play,” Ray said. “Notre Dame coaches spent a lot of time in George County. They were good people and built a good relationship with Deuce.
“But I think he always dreamed of playing in the SEC. I think he felt he had a legitimate chance to play early at Auburn. That really intrigued him. But obviously that didn’t happen.”
Knight played a few plays here and there before head coach Hugh Freeze was fired nine games into a 5-7 season.
With Auburn searching for answers , many wondered why Knight wasn’t given a shot.
Interim coach D.J. Durkin started Knight against Mercer in the next-to-last game of the season. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for four (75, 51, 9 and 20 yards). He completed 15 of 20 passes for 229 yards and ran nine times for 162 yards.
At times, he looked like a man among boys. Auburn won, 62-17
“People can say, ‘Well, it was against Mercer,’ ” Ray said. “But they were a nine-win (FCS) football team so they had to have some athletes. I don’t care who it was against, for him to go out and play like he did says a whole lot about him.”
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During Knight’s spring training before his seventh grade year, Ray received a call from one of the middle school coaches.
“You gotta come down here and look at this guy,” the coach told Ray.
“He definitely stood out,” Ray recalled. “He could run and throw. He had all the physical attributes you want. But what really impressed me was the way he acted, his command in practice. It was easy to see this dude had a bright future.”
Knight began his sophomore year as backup to Ashton Hollins, who signed with Illinois as a receiver. Hollins was having an exceptional year but suffered a torn ACL around mid-season.
“We were playing Picayune for the conference championship,” Ray recalls. “When it happened, I started looking for Deuce. I wanted to talk to him. I was yelling ‘Has anybody seen Deuce?’ Finally, one of the coaches said, ‘Coach, he’s already on the field and has the offense huddled up.’ ”
Knight took them down the field for a touchdown, but Picayune prevailed.
“When they came off the field after Deuce’s first drive, I asked the running back what Deuce said in the huddle,” Ray said. “He said Deuce looked them in the eyes and told them, ‘Let’s go. Nothing is changing.’
“He was ready for the moment, even as a sophomore when we had an outstanding quarterback playing ahead of him. But that whole season, Deuce kept notes every quarterback meeting, just wanting to learn and get better.
“He lives and breathes football. Always has. We put in a brand new offense before his junior season to fit his skill set. It would take most quarterbacks weeks to learn the playbook. It took Deuce two days. He knew the routes and the protections on every play. You just don’t see that out of a young kid.”
I asked Ray if he could remember a “I can’t believe he did that” moment.”
“Heck, that was every day,” Ray said. “He would make a back-shoulder throw or wait in the pocket until the last second and then run 90 yards for a touchdown’ and I’d go ‘where did you learn that?’ He would say, ‘I don’t know, it just came to me.’ ”
Ray laughed. “When he was running our (high school) scout team in ninth grade, I would hear our defensive coordinator yell all the time, ‘Don’t worry about it. The guy we’re playing Friday night can’t do what Deuce just did.’
“I was very fortunate to be part of all that for four years.”
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Deuce’s teams in high school were never able to make a deep run in the playoffs.
“High school is funny how things go in cycles,” Ray said. “We had really good skill people when Deuce was here. Our offensive line played their guts out but because of their size they just weren’t able to hold up in some games. Again, no fault of theirs.
“Plus, we always got everybody’s best game. If they could beat the team Deuce was on, that was a feather in their cap.”
When Ray spoke most recently to his former quarterback, Knight said he was a little over 6-foot-5 and right at 220 pounds.
“He can carry 230 easily because of hs frame,” Ray said.
But what about the Deuce Knight away from the field? What are his interests?
“Recruiters asked me that all the time,” Ray said. “I would tell them that he was a straight A student with a family who pushes him to be as good as he can be. And I know that he likes to cook and play video games.
“The rest of the time, he’s trying to get better as a football player. It means a lot to him.”
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