All-American RB Wayne Knight follows James Madison staff to UCLA
An All-American is transferring into the UCLA backfield in 2026.
Wayne Knight, the James Madison running back who led the nation in total all-purpose yards this past season, committed to UCLA on Wednesday after taking an official visit this past weekend. The decision is a big splash for new UCLA head coach Bob Chesney and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, who convinced the star to follow them to Westwood.
Knight is the Bruins’ second running back pick up in the portal joining Iowa State transfer Dylan Lee, who made his announcement late Tuesday night. He is the 14th commitment overall for UCLA.
Knight’s production in 2025
In 14 games, Knight amassed a school-record 2,039 all-purpose yards. The Associated Press, USA Today, On3 and Sports Illustrated all named him a second-team All-American and he was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award given annually to recognize the most versatile player in college football.
The 5-foot-6, 189-pound redshirt junior ran for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns on 207 carries to go with 40 catches for 397 yards and a score. Knight added 22.25 yards per kickoff return and 9.47 yards per punt return.
Knight produced five 100-yard rushing performances and had six games with at least 150 all-purpose yards. He notched careers highs of 211 yards rushing among his 234 all-purpose yards to lead the Dukes to the Sun Belt championship and a College Football Playoff berth.
For his career, Knight has more than 1,800 yards rushing in 39 games over four years and has one season of eligibility remaining.
James Madison reunion in Westwood
Knight will once again be a weapon for Kennedy, who coached him the past two seasons and made him a focal point of the offense for a breakout year. The Dukes had the nation’s 17th-best offense and sixth-best rushing attack at 241.5 yards rushing per game.
Kennedy is part of a new-look staff that also includes ex-Dukes offensive line coach Chris Smith and tight ends coach Drew Canan on the offensive side of the ball. In all, seven assistants followed Chesney from James Madison to UCLA.
Another three-headed attack?
The Bruins prominently featured running backs Jalen Berger, Jaivian Thomas and Anthony Woods, and Anthony Frias had his share of moments this past season. But it was star quarterback Nico Iamaleava who led the team with 505 yards rushing and four touchdowns in 2025.
UCLA averaged 139.7 yards rushing per game and retained running backs coach A.J. Steward.
Iamaleava announced his return last month and Thomas and Woods both have remaining eligibility. Thomas nor Woods have made transfer announcements. If both return, Kennedy and Steward will be tasked with devising a plan to distribute the carries between a collection of dynamic running backs in addition to designed quarterback runs to maximize Iamaleava’s dual-threat ability.