UCLA football added extra James Madison representation after the Bob Chesney December hire. Chesney is gaining a weapon he knows well from his College Football Playoff run.
Wayne Knight leaves JMU for Westwood, Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
“Knight was named an All-American, First Team All-Sun Belt, and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award,” Fawcett added on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
He's fresh off totaling 1,770 yards of offense and scoring 10 touchdowns for JMU's first-ever CFP team. His big plays propelled the Dukes to win the Sun Belt Conference and enter the 12-team tournament.
UCLA becoming James Madison West with Bob Chesney?
The explosive and versatile Knight, again, isn't the only JMU Duke rejoining Chesney.
UCLA's incoming head coach brings Dean Kennedy with him to the staff, who served as his offensive coordinator. Kennedy's offense skyrocketed to a No. 10 ranking this past season across the nation.
This becomes the third time Chesney and Kennedy will collaborate. They previously worked together at Holy Cross in the Football Championship Subdivision realm — racking up 36.9 points per game in 2023.
Knight rises as someone who can show the ropes. Kennedy installs a physical RPO (run pass option) offense in his new digs. The system even allowed quarterback Alonza Barnett to become a lead blocker.
Wayne Knight 24 yard run, but look at the block by the QUARTERBACK Alonza Barnett‼️ 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/TOKtlq5LBM
— 🜲 🜲 🜲 (@fsh733) December 21, 2025
Skeptics will wonder if this JMU attack can work in a power conference setting — particularly the loaded Big Ten. However, JMU piled an astonishing 509 total yards of offense including 186 rushing on Oregon despite the 51-34 loss. The same Ducks team playing for a spot in the national title game on Friday.
The new UCLA RB went off on a stout Ducks defense that night too in Eugene; taking 17 carries for 110 yards and averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Knights adds a special teams wrinkle as well. He fielded 19 punts for 180 yards in '25. He brings one more year of eligibility.
He's not the only incoming transfer, though. Michigan wide receiver Semaj Morgan is trekking west and heading to UCLA, Fawcett added. Morgan brings 69 career receptions for 566 yards and four touchdowns in tow. Like Knight, he has one year left of CFB.
