Details on Deuce Knight’s high school transfer and why he won’t get homesick at Notre Dame

Over the summer, Deuce Knight decided to transfer from his hometown high school of Lucedale (Miss.) George County to Nashville (Tenn.) Lipscomb Academy.

In 2022, George County was 2-8, while Lipscomb Academy finished as the No. 13 team in America per MaxPreps with a perfect season. The ability to play with other top prospects and compete against other big-time programs intrigued Knight, leading him to transfer.

However, after just three games at Lipscomb, Knight decided to transfer back home.

“I wanted to be home with the guys I’ve known in the locker room since I was five years old,” Knight told Blue & Gold when asked why he made the move back. “I wanted to be around these guys and my family in Mississippi.”

George County fell 34-28 in overtime in Knight’s first game back with the team after sitting out a couple weeks due to transfer rules in Mississippi. Knight’s squad won their next three games, including a 54-19 triumph this past Friday.

But the process leading him back to George County wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Knight’s head coach, James Ray, wasn’t happy about his elite quarterback’s initial decision to transfer to Lipscomb. Ray detailed what took place from the transfer out to the transfer back home.

“I was in shock when he left,” Ray told Blue & Gold. “He had told me days before that he was thinking about it for the better opportunities and competition, but he said he was going to stay. I’m not going to lie; it hurt my feelings. I didn’t see how it’d benefit him more by going there. He already had 22 offers, coming from the best of the best.

“I kept up with him while he was there. It took me probably a week to get over my hurt feelings, and then I reached out to him, and I could hear the hurt in his voice and that he was homesick. I knew it was a matter of time. I didn’t think he’d come back during the season, but I knew he’d probably transfer back after the season.

“He called me up and said he’s coming home, and the worry was with the team. That was my only worry; I didn’t care about what the outside noise would be. And I told Deuce that he was going to have to talk to the team and square it away with them. He did a phenomenal job with that.

“The last thing I told the team before he came back was to put yourself in his shoes and tell me you’d have done anything differently. Before we judge, let’s look at ourselves and see what we would have done.

“There was never an issue with the team. Once Deuce came back and spoke with the team, there was a lot of hugs and smiles. Everyone was ready for him to get back on the field.”

Will Deuce Knight get homesick at Notre Dame?

It’s a fair question to ask. If Knight moved away from home and wanted to return after just a few weeks, then is it possible that the same would occur after enrolling at Notre Dame?

According to Knight, the answer is an emphatic, “No.” He feels very confident in his decision to pick Notre Dame over closer-to-home options in Auburn, Ole Miss and Alabama.

“I know for sure that I’ll be good [at Notre Dame],” Knight stated. “It’s what I want to do and where I need to be. I want to go to the league, and I know Notre Dame can help me to do that. I don’t feel like I’ll get homesick; it’s what I need to do, so I know I’ll keep my head on straight.”

And there’s another factor that will certainly make South Bend feel more like home.

“My mom and dad are coming up there with me anyways,” he added. “They’re moving there with me.”

Knight, who ranks as the nation’s No. 46 overall player and No. 4 quarterback according to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, is feeling very strong in his Fighting Irish pledge.

“Oh man, no regrets. I love it,” he said. “Every time see anything Notre Dame, I think, ‘Man, I’m really committed here?!’ I’m 100 percent committed. I’m not going on any other visits.”

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