Knox looking to handle bigger role

New Albany had a prolific offense last season, and one of the biggest reasons why is back for another go-round.

The Bulldogs averaged 40.1 points per game, and a good many of those came on touchdowns from Kylen Knox. The running back went for 1,375 yards and 19 touchdowns on 173 carries, good for 7.9 yards per carry. He also made 25 catches for 292 yards and a touchdown.

“Explosiveness is kind of his game,” Bulldogs coach Cody Stubblefield said. “He's not the biggest guy in the world, but he's a ball of muscle. He's extremely strong for his size and he’s shifty. With his low center of gravity, he's hard to bring down because of that.”

Knox stands 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds. As one could imagine, he looked up to others in more ways than one, including his older brother Cameron, who graduated from New Albany in 2022 and now plays defensive back at Southern Miss. Cameron gave Kylen plenty of motivation growing up.

“Everybody used to always talk about him, how big he was, and stuff like that, and I'm nowhere close,” Kylen said. “I would always work myself to just be on the field, keep on grinding.”

Though Kylen returns, some key pieces around him do not.

New Albany graduated a four-year starting quarterback in Braden Shettles and a Division I lineman in Emanuel Tucker. The Bulldogs will be moving Kam Ray, last year’s top receiver, to quarterback. The coaches feel good about his potential, but they also understand the need to get the ball to Knox as much as possible.

“It will start with Kam, but Kylen Knox is the guy that's got to touch the ball a lot for us, whether it's swinging it out of the backfield, catching the ball from the backfield or actually handing the ball (off) and doing our run game,” Stubblefield said. “He's a guy that’s just got to get touches, because … he can make a guy miss and go score, so he's going to get his opportunities.”

Knox, meanwhile, will work to put his best foot forward both on and off the field.

“I'm going to try my hardest. I'm going to keep on trying,” Knox said. “I know when gaps are going to open, and our receivers are real, real good, so I feel like the offense has got a very, very good chance this year.”

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →