All-American RB leaves College Football Playoff team for transfer portal

The 2025 College Football Playoff continues on Dec. 31 with its quarterfinal round.

Four teams were eliminated in the first round of the College Football Playoff: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Tulane and James Madison. With their elimination, players from those teams are beginning to enter the transfer portal.

James Madison running back Wayne Knight is among the College Football Playoff participants set to enter the transfer portal. He will have one season of eligibility remaining at his second school.

BREAKING: JMU star RB Wayne Knight is entering the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3Sports

He totaled 1,770 yards and 10 TDs this season

Knight was named an All-American, 1st Team All-Sun Belt, and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/UfqHryRyjl
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 27, 2025

The 5-foot-7, 190-pounder arrived at James Madison when current Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti was at the helm in 2022. Knight played in six games that season, rushing for negative eight yards and catching five passes for 63 yards.

Knight appeared in a blowout victory against Bucknell for the Dukes in 2023. He ran for 23 yards on four carries while logging an 11-yard reception.

Knight entered the transfer portal midway through the 2023 season. However, when Bob Chesney took over the head coaching vacancy for the departing Cignetti, Chesney offered him a chance to play in an expanded role with the Dukes.

The Dukes featured Knight in all 13 games of the 2024 season. He ran for 449 yards and two touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 137 yards and two more touchdowns. His highest output on the ground was 74 yards in a victory over Old Dominion.

Wayne Knight breaks tackles against Oregon. — James Madison Dukes running back Wayne Knight (3) | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Knight's production with the Dukes skyrocketed in 2025. He ran for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns while logging 40 receptions for 397 yards and another touchdown. Knight was named All-Sun Belt First Team for his 2025 performance.

The Dukes' lone regular-season loss of 2025 was at Louisville (28-14) on Sept. 5. James Madison's non-conference wins were against Weber State (45-10), Washington State (24-20) and at Liberty (31-13).

The Dukes defeated Georgia Southern (35-10), Louisiana (24-14), Old Dominion (63-27) and Appalachian State (58-10) at Bridgeforth Stadium in conference play. The road wins in Sun Belt play were at Georgia State (14-7), Texas State (52-20), Marshall (35-23) and Coastal Carolina (59-10).

James Madison defeated Troy (31-14) in the Sun Belt Championship game to clinch the No. 12 seed in the College Football Playoff. Knight ran for a season-high 212 yards against the Trojans.

The Dukes were eliminated from the College Football Playoff by Oregon (51-34) on Dec. 20. Knight rushed for 110 yards in the loss.

The primary reason for the departures from Harrisonburg involves a coaching change. Head coach Bob Chesney accepted the head coaching vacancy left by DeShaun Foster at UCLA on