West Virginia wanted to find another running back to round out the position in the transfer portal and has done that with a commitment from SMU transfer Jaylan Knighton.
Knighton, 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, picked the Mountaineers after entering the transfer portal April 16 giving the program an experienced back that has had success in multiple stops.
The Florida native spent time at both SMU and Miami and rushed for 1,981 yards and 17 touchdowns during his time at the college level. He also hauled in 57 catches for 628 yards and 5 more scores.
Knighton most recently spent two seasons with the Mustangs and appeared in only three games last year before missing the rest of the season due to injury. During those contests, Knight rushed for 43 yards on 12 carries and had 4 catches for 42 yards.
In 2023, Knighton rushed for 745 yards and 7 touchdowns, an average of 5.5 per carry and also made 13 catches for 89 yards and a score.
Prior to that Knighton spent three seasons at Miami where he appeared in 27 games and rushed for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns during that time including leading the Hurricanes with 561 yards and 8 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2021.
The Florida native is a former four-star prospect that was ranked as the No. 5 running back nationally in the 2020 class according to Rivals.com and participated in the Under Armour All-America Game.
Knighton has one season of eligibility remaining in his career.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer addition of Knighton and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
The data:
Knighton only appeared across 66 offensive snaps in 2024 due to injury, but played 332 the season prior where he had his most productive season with 745 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
Over the course of his five seasons at the college level, Knighton has played a total of 1,274 offensive snaps and has averaged 4.6 yards per carry during that time.
Across his 424 carries Knighton has forced a total of 72 missed tackles and had 49 runs over 10+ yards showcasing his ability to create big plays with his legs. Knighton also was productive after contact with 1,017 yards coming in that department from his career total.
Also, a productive pass catcher out of the backfield, Knighton hauled in 57 catches for 628 yards and 5 touchdowns and was targeted 73 total times.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia only had three scholarship running backs on the roster with Jahiem White, Tye Edwards and Diore Hubbard so Knighton gives the program some much needed depth. And experienced depth at that as Knighton has been productive when given opportunities at all of his previous stops.
Knighton is a former highly recruited running back that brings a versatile skill set to the table for head coach Rich Rodriguez at the position. That is going to allow the Mountaineers to have more options with Knighton on the roster and he should factor in immediately in the backfield with one year left.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia wanted to add at least one more running back option out of the transfer portal and Knighton fills that need as an experienced back with a versatile skill set. It’s still possible that another could be in the mix here though as the roster continues to be completely re-made.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
