Wayne Knight becomes Chesney's biggest add in the portal

Bob Chesney is making a splash with UCLA. As he picks up his biggest addition yet in running back Wayne Knight. Knight spent last year under Chesney at James Madison. A year in which the Dukes made the College Football Playoff. This is a big-time add by UCLA. One that we talked about that could be intriguing as soon as Knight hit the portal. The Bruins now get a dynamic weapon that can help them out of the backfield. With 1,770 all-purpose yards last year, he is a threat running the ball as well as catching out of the backfield.

The best part is, he will slide right in and should hit the ground running. As Chesney brought over Dean Kennedy with him as his offensive coordinator. Kennedy was with the Dukes last year as well. Familiar system will help make the integration easier and all systems go from day one. This addition will make it interesting to see what happens with Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas who were both on the roster last season. But neither was an every down back.

Knight has a similar build to another former Bruin. A very good one in Maurice Jones-Drew. Hopefully they can get production like MJD did back in the day. Showing that shorter and bulkier running backs can still succeed and not be overlooked. The wiggle is there, and he is shifty in space once he gets the ball. Making him a dynamic option for returning quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Knight on occasions can return punts as well if the team is looking for a spark. He was a First-team All-Sun Belt running back and all-purpose player.

There is no doubt about it. Chesney is not looking to play this thing slow. UCLA is making some big-time moves. Ones that with NIL resources can compete in the Big Ten next season. There are still a lot of chips to fall as well. But the sense of optimism is clearly there. After a rough few seasons, it’s time to return to winning football. It looks like the right guy is leading the way to do that.