Charlotte 49ers land transfer pass rusher Romeo McKnight and he’ll play vs. App State

When the Missouri Valley Conference announced in August it had postponed football until the spring due to the coronavirus, Illinois State junior defensive end Romeo McKnight — an all-conference player who has hopes of playing in the NFL — quickly put his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal.

McKnight did so knowing he has only one season of eligibility left, and that he would need some kind of waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play this season, even as a transfer.

McKnight found such a waiver, had it granted, and will play this season for the Charlotte 49ers. He’s expected to be in action Saturday when Charlotte opens its season at Appalachian State. The waiver allows a player to become immediately eligible if he can show there were extenuating circumstances beyond his control that directly affect his health, safety or well-being.

Those extenuating circumstances were the MVC’s decision not to play, which would have a direct impact on McKnight’s well-being — his prospects of being drafted next spring.

And he found a spot with Charlotte, a member of Conference USA, one of six NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision leagues that still plans on playing this fall. Illinois State’s MVC is a Football Championship Subdivision conference. It’s unclear if there are any other players transferring in college football who have received a waiver with circumstances similar to McKnight’s.

It was at that FCS level where McKnight (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) had a dominating season in 2019. He had 12 sacks and his .73 sacks per game ranked 31st nationally. He also had 16.5 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hurries and forced two fumbles. He started his career at Iowa, but transferred to Illinois State after missing the 2017 season with the Hawkeyes with a knee injury.

The “extenuating circumstances” waiver has been used recently, notably by quarterback Shea Patterson, who was eligible immediately when he he transferred from Mississippi to Penn State after the Rebels were hit with NCAA penalties.

McKnight’s mother Marie McKnight told Friday Night Drive — a website covering Illinois high school sports — that Romeo needs one class this semester to graduate.

McKnight joins a 49ers defensive end group that includes junior Markees Watts, who had 9.5 sacks last season, and grad student Tyriq Harris, an honorable mention all-Conference USA player in 2018 who missed last season with a back injury.