Larry Knight - Defensive Line Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Larry Knight

Title:
Defensive Line Coach
Email:
Phone:
215-204-4694

LARRY KNIGHT
Hometown	Augusta, Ga.
College	Central Michigan, 2010
Family	Single
Family
Coaching Experience
Year	School, Position
2023-	Temple, Defensive Line
2023	Toledo, Defensive Line
2019-22	Georgia Tech, Defensive Line
2018	Temple, OLB/Recruiting Coord.
2017	Temple, QC Asst./Def. Recruiting
2015-16	Georgia State, Outside Linebackers
2014	Tennessee, Defensive QC
2013	Tennessee, GA
2011-12	Cincinnati, GA
Postseason Experience
Year	Bowl, School
2018	Independence Bowl, Temple
2017	Gasparilla Bowl, Temple
2015	Cure Bowl, Georgia State
2012	Belk Bowl, Cincinnati
2011	Liberty Bowl, Cincinnati

Larry Knight returned to Temple for a second time when he was hired to be the defensive line coach in June 2023.

Knight spent the 2023 spring coaching the defensive line at Toledo. Prior to that, Knight was an assistant Georgia Tech (2019-22), Temple (2017-18), Georgia State (2015-16), and Tennessee (2014). He was also a graduate assistant coach at Tennessee (2013) and Cincinnati (2011-12).

Before joining the Toledo coaching staff, he served as the defensive line coach and defensive recruiting coordinator at Georgia Tech for four years. During his tenure with the Yellow Jackets, Knight oversaw the development of Djimon Brooks, who went from un-recruited walk-on to starter to an All-ACC performer in 2021. He also recruited and developed 2022 All-ACC honoree Keion White, who tied for third in the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss in his senior season and was selected by New England in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Knight also played a big role in Georgia Tech ranking in the top 25 nationally in fumble recoveries in 2021 and 2022.

Knight went to Georgia Tech in 2019 as part of Geoff Collins’ first Yellow Jackets’ staff. He originally worked for Collins at Temple where Collins was the head coach from 2017-18. During his tenure, Knight helped the Owls to back-to-back bowl games, including a 2017 Gasparilla Bowl victory.

Knight originally joined Temple as a quality-control assistant for defense and recruiting in 2017, and was elevated to director of player personnel in February of 2018 before being promoted again to outside linebackers coach/ defensive recruiting coordinator a month later. In 2018, he was part of a defensive staff that helped Temple rank in the top four nationally in defensive touchdowns scored, and rank among the American Athletic Conference’s top three teams in total defense.

Before Temple, Knight served as outside linebackers coach at Georgia State from 2015-16. He was a part of a GSU team that had the most-improved defense in NCAA Division I FBS in 2015, allowing 15 points fewer per game than the season before, as well as helping the Panthers reach their first-ever bowl appearance in the 2015 Cure Bowl.

Prior to GSU, Knight spent two seasons at Tennessee, serving as a defensive graduate assistant in 2013 and defensive quality control coach in 2014. At Tennessee, he worked directly with the defensive linemen and linebackers, where he helped put together a pair of top-five-ranked recruiting classes and helped recruit and develop Derek Barnett, a first-round draft pick for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Knight began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati in 2011 where he assisted with a defensive line that was No. 1 in the country in tackles for loss (8.6/game) and finished the regular season first in sacks (3.5/game) in 2011. The Bearcats won Big East championships and captured a pair of bowl victories during Knight’s tenure there in 2011 and 2012.

A native of Augusta, Ga., Knight played at Central Michigan from 2005-09 and was a part of conference championship teams in 2006, 2007 and 2009. He tallied 123 tackles, 25.0 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in his career, earning All-MAC honors as a senior in 2009. He earned his bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and marketing from CMU in 2010.