Deionte Knight (born April 7, 1999) is a professional Canadian football

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

University career

Knight played for the Western Mustangs of U Sports football from 2018 to 2021. He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 season, but managed to record 96 tackles and 13.5 sacks in three seasons. In his final year, in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, he recorded 52 tackles, including 13 for a loss, ten sacks, and two forced fumbles as he won the

J. P. Metras Trophy The J. P. Metras Trophy is awarded annually to the most outstanding down lineman in U Sports football. The award was first initiated in 1974 and is named after John Pius Metras. Metras was a former coach of the Western Mustangs from 1939 to 1969 ...

that year. To end the year, Knight won a Vanier Cup championship after the Mustangs defeated the

Saskatchewan Huskies The University of Saskatchewan began in 1907 and has operated teams that compete with others since 1911. The term Huskie Athletics is defined as those student athletes from the University of Saskatchewan that compete in elite interuniversity ...

in the

56th Vanier Cup The 2021 Vanier Cup, the 56th edition of the Canadian university football championship, was played on December 4, 2021, at Telus Stadium in Quebec City, Quebec. The OUA champion Western Mustangs defeated the Canada West champion Saskatchewan Huski ...

where Knight recorded three tackles and one sack.

Professional career

Toronto Argonauts

Knight was drafted in the second round, 10th overall, in the

2022 CFL Draft The 2022 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League (CFL) teams that took place on May 3, 2022, at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS. 74 players were chosen from among eligible players from ...

by the Toronto Argonauts and signed with the team on May 20, 2022. He began the 2022 season on the injured list but made his professional debut on August 20, 2022, against the Calgary Stampeders. He returned to the injured list shortly after, but returned near the end of the season, including making his first career start on October 29, 2022, against the Montreal Alouettes. In total, Knight played in four regular season games where he recorded two defensive tackles. He was on the injured list during the post-season, including when the Argonauts won the

109th Grey Cup The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regina, and the first ...

championship. Knight made the team's active roster following training camp in

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and had three defensive tackles as a back-up in the season-opening game. He played in 17 regular season games where he had 17 defensive tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. To begin the 2024 season, Knight was a healthy scratch on the one-game injured list, but dressed for the team's next two games without recording a statistic. He was then moved to the practice roster on July 1, 2024.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On July 3, 2024, Knight was claimed off of the Argonauts' practice roster by the

Personal life

Knight's father, DeWayne Knight, played in parts of four seasons as a linebacker for the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...

, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and BC Lions.

References

External links

Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Deionte 1999 births Living people Canadian football defensive linemen Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Sportspeople from Ajax, Ontario Players of Canadian football from Ontario Toronto Argonauts players Western Mustangs football players