Todd Knight

Todd Knight enters his fourth season as head football coach at Newberry College, sporting an overall record of 14-16 with a SAC record of 11-10.

Knight previously served as Newberry’s defensive coordinator, a position he held for a total of seven seasons; six solely as the defensive coordinator, and serving as both head coach and defensive coordinator in 2009.

Two players have earned South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors under Knight’s tutelage, with linebacker Will Newell winning the award in the 2008 season and safety Ron Parker earning the honor in 2009.

In 2009, Knight led the scarlet and gray to a 6-4 overall record in his first season as head coach. Knight was the first Newberry head coach to record a winning season in his first year as head coach since Reed Charpia led the Indians to a 7-3 record in 1978.

The team defeated 12th-ranked Valdosta State, 31-24, on the road in Knight’s first game as head coach. The scarlet and gray were ranked 20th in the nation by D2Football.com following the Valdosta win, marking Knight’s first national ranking as head coach.

In 2010, the Wolves went 4-6 overall and 3-4 in SAC play. In 2011, Newberry went 4-6 overall and tied for third place in the league with a 4-3 conference record.

As head coach, Knight has coached 22 all-South Atlantic Conference players and one South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year. Knight’s players have earned 10 all-state awards, 15 all-region honors and 10 All-American awards. Newberry players have won the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week honors on nine occasions under Knight’s direction.

His players have made eight appearances in senior all-star games including the Texas vs. the Nation Game, the Valero Cactus Bowl, the Players All-Star Classic and the East Coast Bowl.

Three former players under Knight are currently on NFL squads - safety Ron Parker with the Seattle Seahawks, cornerback Kamaal McIlwain with the New Orleans Saints and tight end Brandon Bostick with the Green Bay Packers.

Knight’s players have also excelled in the classroom, with Brandon Gantt named an ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2009. Gantt in 2009, Matt Holmes in 2010 and Lequawn James in 2011 were also named as national semifinalists for the National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy, which is known as the Academic Heisman Award. Five players were named to the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society.

Knight is a three-time South Atlantic Conference champion, as he was the defensive coordinator for Newberry’s 2006 and 2008 championship teams and played outside linebacker at Gardner-Webb when the Runnin’ Bulldogs won the SAC title in 1987.

Before coming to Newberry, Knight served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Charleston Southern University under head coach David Dowd. Under Knight’s guidance, the 2001 Buccaneers’ “Blue Collar” defense achieved a top 20 Division I-AA national ranking in total defense.

Knight served as defensive coordinator at Lees-McRae College and was the secondary coach at his alma mater, former South Atlantic Conference member Gardner-Webb University.

At Gardner-Webb, he received a Bachelor of Science in physical education in 1989 and earned a Master of Arts in physical education the following year as a graduate assistant coach.

He is married to the former Tina Martin and the couple resides in Little Mountain. He is the proud father of his daughter, Anna, and sons, Devin and Michael Cash.

Knight Coaching Record

Season   School          W-L    W/L Pct
2009     Newberry        6-4     .600
2010     Newberry        4-6     .400
2011     Newberry        4-6     .400
Overall  Three Seasons  14-16    .467