Amariyun Knighten
Erases the deep middle of the field. Played for three head coaches at three programs in five seasons: Thomas Hammock, Curt Cignetti and Chuck Martin. A game that shows it: 6 tackles against Central Michigan — Week 8, 2026.
25 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Single-high range who erases the deep middle of the field.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
25 tackles. 10 passes defended. 1 interception. 0 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Miami (OH) | 25 | 17 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | Indiana | 1 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 13 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Northern Illinois | 18 | 11 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Northern Illinois | 15 | 10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| Career | 72 | 48 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 10): 2 pass breakups, 4 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 9 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 14-59@ Pittsburgh | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-7vs Holy Cross | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 31-35@ Cincinnati | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 24-21vs UConn | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 20-24vs Bowling Green | 5 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 6 | W 20-19@ Massachusetts | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 7 | W 34-14vs Akron | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | W 28-27@ Central Michigan | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 6 tackles |
| Wk 10 | L 31-34vs Buffalo | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Total | 25 | 17 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 10 |
Nov. 3 · L 31-34 vs Buffalo, play by play
4 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for the most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
No game thread archived for this game yet.
Against his own season: tied for his best passes defended game of the season so far.
His game this year: coverage — 10 passes defended in the 9 games with play by play.
How Miami (OH)’s defense played that day
Buffalo’s 11 drives: 5 stopped (2 takeaways) · 6 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 7. His pbu came with Miami (OH) up 7.
6 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
0 tackles, including 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception on 4th and 2 ended Akron’s drive (int).
Hurried the quarterback. First quarter, down 7-0. Ended Akron’s drive (int).
Intercepted on 4th and 2. Fourth quarter, up 27-14. Ended Akron’s drive (int).
3 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for 5th-most passes broken up in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, tied for 2nd-most passes broken up in FBS that week. His pass breakup on 4th and 2 ended Bowling Green’s drive (downs).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Broke up a pass on 4th and 2. First quarter, tied 0-0. Ended Bowling Green’s drive (downs).
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +8 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
40%10 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
25tackles this seasonTFL rate
0%0 TFL25 tackles · 10 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 9 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 2.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Road4g | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Chuck Martin
Pass share
43.0%
229 pass / 303 run
Plays / game
59.1
9 games
Team sack rate
8.6%
279 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Fewer tackles a game than most FBS defensive backs who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #39 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Played for three programs.
The snaps went the other way.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Thomas Hammock, Curt Cignetti and Chuck Martin.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Miami (OH)
