ULM Warhawks

2022 Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days | One-on-One Interview with Wide Receiver Boogie Knight

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By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

NEW ORLEANS – Media obligations for ULM receiver started early for Boogie Knight on Wednesday morning, but the senior receiver didn't require a wake-up call.

One of the most tireless players on the team, Knight was up at 5 a.m. in order to get in a workout before representing the Warhawks during Sun Belt Conference Media Days.

"Slacking would be the last thing I'd do," Knight said. "I feel like every day, every month, every year, I've got to try to elevate my game. How hard I was working last summer, I thought I was pushing myself to the limit. But each year, I try to level up and push myself that much harder."

A native of Jefferson, Ohio, who transferred to ULM from Akron before last season, Knight has amassed 2,819 career all-purpose yards on 230 touches (12.3 yards per play). He needs 181 all-purpose yards to reach the 3,000-yard career milestone.

After playing for ULM coach Terry Bowden at Akron, Knight came to Monroe, Louisiana, to follow his football dreams. Knight's father passed away when he was 9 years old and the work effort comes in part from a childhood promise.

"Some of it is God given," said Jeremiah Knight, who was nicknamed Boogie by his father for his elusive running style. "I was born with this mindset, but it was that on top of what happened when I was a kid. Seeing what happened to my dad and that promise I made to him about making it to the NFL. The NFL is on my mind from the second I wake up to the second I fall asleep. That's what drives me."

Voted a preseason All-Sun Belt Second-Team selection by the league's head coaches and media panel, Knight led the Warhawks in receptions (45), receiving yards (588), touchdown receptions (3) and all-purpose yards (824) last season. His 2021 receiving numbers (receptions, receiving yards and TD receptions) surpassed his three-year totals at Akron.

Knight also demonstrated a knack for making pivotal plays. Twenty-six of his 45 catches resulted in a first down (58 percent). He also led the team in first down receptions (26), yards after the catch (236) and explosive receptions (+15 yards: 17). Knight returned 12 kickoffs for 219 yards (18.3 avg.) and six punts for 20 yards.

He's scheming to smash those numbers in 2022.

"This past year was the best offseason I've ever had," Knight said. "It's the hardest I've ever worked and most disciplined I've been."

ULM's coaching staff features six newcomers, including offensive coordinator Matt Kubik, wide receivers coach John Carr and tight ends/tackles coach Kyle Segler. All three have prior experience coaching at ULM before joining Bowden's staff.

"Coach Kubik, Coach Carr, Coach Segler, all those guys are super cool dudes, who love what they do and love their players," Knight said. "It's the biggest thing from this year and last year, the players and coaches' chemistry seems so much better. From where I've been, to last year until now, this is the closest connection we've had.

"Everybody feels like friends out there. There's still that fine line between coach and player, but everybody gets along. Everybody knows the right time and place when it's time to have fun or go to work."

Kubik returned to ULM, where he was instrumental in developing quarterback Caleb Evans. The hope is that he can work his magic on Chandler Rogers and Jiya Wright too while utilizing every player capable of contributing.

"Coach Kubik is so young, but he's done so much all ready," Knight said. "He's a mastermind when it comes to football. We had so much fun in the spring as an offense making plays. Every guy is making plays – outside receivers, the slots, the running backs. Like I said, a mastermind. He knows what to call and when to call it. I'm excited. I think we can be a powerhouse offense in this conference."

Knight dismissed the Sun Belt Conference preseason polls, predicting ULM to finish last in the West Division. It didn't set well with him.

"I see something like that and I can't help but almost smile," Knight said. "These preseason predictions are meaningless. I look at it as another opportunity to prove people wrong like I've been doing my whole life. People don't believe in us because of our past but that to me doesn't mean anything.

"If I were to listen to predictions or people's opinion's my whole life, I'd be a Division III player, who graduated and was a gym teacher. That's the stuff people have said to me in my past. People don't think it can happen until you shake up the world. "

To hear Knight talk, he's got plenty of company on the ULM team when it comes to putting in the work to change the perception of the Warhawks.

"I've been around college football for five years," said Knight, who began his career as a walk-on at Ohio State. "I hope I've helped set the tone. But this is a special group of guys. I see more people doing extra work than I've seen at any previous program, and that includes my time at Ohio State. There will be days when we've got seven out of seven running backs there doing extra work. We'll have a route session where it's all 15 receivers and all four quarterbacks, four tight ends or six DBs doing work by themselves.

"When we have player-led practices, you have the leaders of the team really setting the tone and not letting people slack off. There's no step down whether the coaches are around or not."