QB Knighten gets a shot to nail down starter’s job

JONESBORO — For the first time in three years, Fredi Knighten’s position of preference falls in line with that of his coaches.

The Red Wolves’ junior quarterback is trying to make the most of his best shot at winning the starting quarterback job, but he’s trying not to take it too seriously so early.

“I’m just trying to be the best guy for my team,” Knighten said. “It’s not about me, it’s about them.”

The last time fans saw Knighten, he was sparking ASU to a rally in the GoDaddy Bowl when he filled in for the injured Adam Kennedy and led a 59-yard drive in the final minute that ended with his 13-yard touchdown pass to Allen Muse that beat Ball State 23-20.

Three months later, Knighten has taken the lead in becoming Coach Blake Anderson’s first starting quarterback at ASU. He is the only one of the six quarterbacks on the roster who has thrown a pass in a game and took every snap with the No. 1 offense during a scrimmage last week.

That may have had more to do with Anderson and offensive coordinator Walt Bell wanting to get their first good look at Knighten in as close to a game situation as they can rather than a reflection of how

“At the end of the day, it’s about how well you can function under those types of pressure.” Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten on being told he doesn’t have the size to play quarterback

far Knighten has distanced himself from the others.

Anderson and Bell were in Mobile, Ala., as Knighten passed for 115 yards and ran for 97 in the GoDaddy Bowl, but these spring practices are the best look they’ve had at the former Parade All-American out of Pulaski Academy.

“It’s different than drill work,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to put him in live situations and let him make mistakes and then decide from there what we eliminate or what maybe we can do.”

Knighten, 5-11, 189 pounds, said he’s trying not to get too caught up in the competition. Recruited by Gus Malzahn to be a quarterback, he played wide receiver as a freshman in 2012 while Ryan Aplin finished his senior season. Former coach Bryan Harsin said Knighten was an important part of the offense last season, but he disappeared at times, going four consecutive games without throwing a pass.

It wasn’t until Kennedy dislocated his kneecap against Western Kentucky that Knighten had his first chance for real playing time.

“Ever since I was in high school, people have been telling me, ‘You have the talent to do a lot of different things, not necessarily the size to play quarterback,’ ” Knighten said. “At the end of the day, it’s about how well you can function under those types of pressure.”

Bell doesn’t buy into the criticism of Knighten’s size. So far he’s seen everything he needs to tell him that Knighten has the physical tools. Bell said Knighten is the most athletic quarterback he has seen in the five years he and Anderson have coached together.

Bell said Knighten is even a more dangerous runner than Marquise Williams, the quarterback who led North Carolina in rushing last year with 536 yards and six touchdowns. Bell said Knighten has many of the key traits he looks for in a good quarterback, including communication skills and efficiency.

“Do they have to be 6-foot5 and be able to throw the ball all over the place? No,” Bell said. “There’s plenty of those dudes. … The things that make a good quarterback, he’s got in bunches.”

Knighten is getting every opportunity to display those skills this spring, and he hopes to earn the job for good.

“I’m just trying to be the best quarterback I can be,” Knighten said. “If that doesn’t work out, then I’ll do what’s best for my team. But, for right now, I’m focusing on quarterback.”

Knighten