Palm Beach (Fla.) Benjamin cornerback
Ricky Knight has spent plenty of time at both Miami and Florida State and it’s shaping up to be an in-state battle between the two rival programs.
After spending most of Thursday in Coral Gables, the 6-foot, 168-pounder has an official visit locked in with the Hurricanes for the June 23 weekend - right after his visit to Tallahassee.
“The first time I came was Battle Miami,” Knight III told InsideTheU. “The second time I came, they showed me a lot of love - super nice. The facilities were super nice. We got a tour. Now I had to get back and watch the practice aspect again. You can see the competition between the guys. Everybody wants to be the best and, all in all, obtain the main goal of having that amazing season and pushing forward to be national champions. With Coach Cristobal, I see that he’s trying to bring in a lot of guys that can help get him to that goal because we know what The U used to be. Now they have a model of, ‘I don’t want to be the old U.’ The want the old ‘U’ mindset, but in a new way. They’re definitely bringing in a lot of talent and them winning and going big very, very soon.”
Knight also spent time recently in Tallahassee and the two programs are battling it out for his eventual commitment.
“Being at Florida State, I’m always welcomed over there. They love me over there. I love them guys also. They show me so much love. Every time I step on campus, everyone is coming up to me asking me what’s up and how I’m doing. It’s the same thing here, which is why I love both schools. That’s why, ultimately, it’s going to be hard choosing other schools also because competing with Miami and Florida State. My recruitment right now is 100 percent open. I haven’t chosen a school. I haven’t set my eyes on one school. There definitely could be some change, possibly. But as of right now, I’m loving the schools that I’ve visited,” Knight said.
So how is Knight balancing his thoughts on two bitter college football rivals?
“It’s hard, honestly. You got two Florida schools. One is almost six hours away or so. The other is almost two. Both in Florida, both really great programs, really great coaching staffs, really great staff all around besides coaching, really good school programs, [Miami] being a private school. It’s a hard process, but I’ve been not letting it overwhelm me and I’m going to start speaking to the man up above. He has all the answers and I know he will steer me in the right way,” Knight said.
One person on Miami’s roster that Knight has developed a relationship with is All-American safety Kamren Kinchens, who was having his banner inside the indoor practice facility hung on Thursday afternoon.
“I talk to Kam weekly. Kam is my guy. I was talking to him earlier. I just told him congratulations and everything. Kam is a very humble guy. He’s a hard worker. He produces on the field, off the field, he’s a family guy. Kam is just all-around a cool person to talk to outside of football. We talk about school and everything. He’s just a cool guy. To see him being able to accomplish what he did as a sophomore, it just shows the development of the program and there’s no telling what he’s going to do this upcoming season because looking at him in practice, I could definitely see him being first-team All-American again as a junior.”