By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher
There is no point in delaying the inevitable.
That’s why Luke Knott, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound quarterback out of Lee’s Summit, Mo. committed to Iowa State’s 2012 recruiting class on Saturday.
Luke, the younger brother of current Cyclone linebacker Jake Knott, currently only holds one official scholarship offer. But Big 12 schools like Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri have recently been closing in.
“I took the whole thing into consideration and if those other schools were to offer, I asked myself if they would beat out Iowa State,” Knott told CycloneFanatic.com. “The Iowa State coaching staff probably wanted me the most of any other school and they were first to offer. That told me a lot about them.”
Luke’s family connection to Iowa State was no doubt a big advantage for the Cyclone coaching staff.
“Having my brother there and seeing how much success he has had from that program told me right there,” Knott said.
Luke and his family were in Ames over the weekend visiting Jake. It was over a dinner with some members of the team when everything went down. As you would imagine, the always emotional head coach of Iowa State, Paul Rhoads, got a little amped up when he learned about the latest addition to his future roster.
“He was pumped. He gave me a big handshake,” Knott said. “He stood up and announced it to everybody. It made me feel really welcome.”
Who’s more excited than Rhoads about this decision? That’s easy. The parents of the Knott boys.
“They are excited that they’ll only have to travel to one school,” Knott said. “They were going to be excited no matter which school I chose but the fact that it was Iowa State and the way that Coach Rhoads has treated Jake the past few years made them know that it was the right decision for me.”
Where will he play?
As soon as Knott’s commitment news broke (Jake released the information on Twitter), the speculation began. What position will Luke play at Iowa State?
He’ll start off his Cyclone career at quarterback. Knott threw for 1,810 yards, 18 touchdowns (while only throwing six interceptions) during his junior season. He also ran for 725 yards and 14 touchdowns, while leading Lee’s Summit to a 5A state tile in 2010. Knott is a dual-threat signal-caller who could very well be an impact player at that position in the Big 12.
“I’ll go in and give quarterback my best shot,” Knott said. “If I’m one of the top quarterbacks, then I’ll stay at quarterback. If they think that I will have more playing time at another position, I’ll move. I just want to play wherever I can get on the field the fastest.”
If quarterback doesn’t work out, Luke could join his brother on Iowa State’s defense. While he hasn’t played there in game situations, Knott does have some experience playing safety at the high school level.
“I haven’t played in a game but I have practiced at wide receiver and safety during my sophomore year because they didn’t know where to put me on the high school team,” Knott said. “I am open to wherever the coaches think I fit best and wherever I can make an impact on the team.”
Going forward
Luke has a busy summer ahead of him. His high school baseball team has already started its season and is off to a 4-1 start. Luke plays centerfield and also pitches for Lee’s Summit West.
“We have a pretty good squad,” Knott said. “We’re hoping to make a run at the state title.”
Knott also plans on attending an Elite 11 quarterback camp at some point in time. As far as camping goes, he’ll attend Iowa State’s but Knott does not plan on going anywhere else.
