Villanova Univeristy Athletics

A nose guard when he arrived on campus, Ryan Knight had a strong freshman season for the Villanova defense before he switched to the offensive line and developed into a three-time all-conference performer as an offensive guard. Knight was a member of two Wildcats playoff teams, including the 1997 squad which was undefeated during the regular season and ascended to No. 1 in the national rankings. He played from 1996-99 and graduated from Villanova in 2000. Knight was inducted to the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2019.
 
In his freshman season in 1996, Knight made 28 total tackles while being credited with six tackles for loss and a sack. He was part of a Wildcats defense that forced 34 turnovers and recorded 40 sacks to help Villanova go 8-4 and reach the playoffs for the first time in four years. The team went 6-2 in conference play, finished in a tie for second place in the Yankee Conference and outscored the opposition by nearly 10 points per game.
 
Knight moved to the offensive line beginning with the 1997 campaign and the Wildcats averaged better than 30 points per game in each of his three seasons as a guard. Villanova went undefeated during the 1997 regular season and reached No. 1 in the national polls for the first time in program history. Another milestone occurred later in the season when the Wildcats defeated Colgate for the program’s first FCS playoff win. Villanova ended the season 12-1 overall and averaged better than 40 points per game (40.4) and 437.5 total yards per contest while scoring more than double the points it allowed (525-258).
 
For his part, Knight was named to the Atlantic 10 third team offense and the ECAC first team offense for the 1997 season. He repeated the ECAC honor and moved up to the Atlantic 10 second team in 1998 before earning Atlantic 10 first team accolades his senior year.
 
The offensive line enabled the Wildcats to average 32.5 points per game in 1998 and 30.4 points per contest during the 1999 season. In Knight’s senior season in 1999, the offense averaged 404.9 total yards per game and rushed for 1,357 yards on the year.