De La Salle High School QB Brayden Knight given keys to offense vs. Lakeland

Third-year player, first-year starter already feeds his linemen, now prepared to distribute playmakers against one of Florida's most storied programs

De La Salle senior QB Brayden Knight takes over the offense for the Spartans heading into Friday's 7:30 p.m. home game versus Florida power Lakeland. / Photo by Dennis Lee

Right off the bat, Brayden Knight is not Toa Faavae. Clearly. 

The De La Salle-Concord senior is replacing now University of New Mexico freshman as starting quarterback after backing him up frequently the last two seasons. 

The two have completely different styles, 

Faavae, one of Northern California’s fastest players, an anchor leg on De La Salle’s state finalist 400-meter relay team, was an explosive playmaker, a left-hander who could make something out of nothing, and often did. 

Knight, meanwhile, a 6-foot-3, 185-pounder with a big smile and friendly demeanor, is a steady hand, smart playmaker with a strong, accurate right arm and excellent feet. He’s sneaky fast and coaches and teammates alike note that he runs the veer superbly and can also beat you with his legs. Just not regularly from long range to the house. 

De La Salle starting quarterback Brayden Knight for the 2025 season / Photo by Mitch Stephens

“He has all the intangibles and physical abilities that you want,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “He’s definitely athletic enough to handle what we need.

“He makes good decisions and you have to account for him because he’s faster than people think.” 

DIVISION 1 QUARTERBACK

For all the questions of having a new starting quarterback for one of the state’s top teams — the Spartans are ranked No. 8 by High School On SI — there are a couple of certainties heading into Friday’s big 7:30 p.m. season opener at home with Florida power Lakeland.  

1. He has the lone set of keys to the De La Salle offense.

And 2. “He’s a Division I quarterback,” Alumbaugh said. 

All of it is music to the ears of Knight. Well, almost all of it. 

“In some ways it sort of blows because (Faavae) was a great competitor who really pushed me,” Knight said. “It’s really nice though that it’s finally my time to give (the ball) to my athletes and let them make plays and just really take control of the team. … To be the leader that I want to be.”

LIKE NO OTHER POSITION

Also being voted a team captain, Knight will be that leader he said distributing the ball evenly, pushing the guys and being there to support them when in need.

De La Salle quarterback Brayden Knight did a lot of handing off during his junior season. / Photo by Dennis Lee

He’s always played quarterback starting in flag-football youth days, and played it in his first year of tackle in the eighth grade. He played for former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew then and MJD’s son Duece, now a starting tailback for the Spartans, was a starter for his youth team as well. 

Knight said he always loved the position. 

“I like that you get the control of the team, control the tempo of the game,” he said. “I like all the pressure is on me. That’s how I’ve always liked it. I mean, everybody is looking at me to make plays, you know, and dish it out to other guys. But to take the ball into my own hands and make the passes or runs when I need to, I just think there’s no other position like it in sports.”

He’s got plenty of weapons to distribute the ball to. Fast ones especially. Alumbaugh said this might be the fastest team he’s coached — the last 13 as head coach and 12 before that as an assistant. 

FOOD PREP

Besides Jones-Drew, running back-receiver-cornerback Jaden Jefferson is the fastest player in California (he broke the state 100-meter record at 10.01 seconds in the spring). Among others who can really scoot are Jayden Nicholas, Emery Speight, Chase Young and Greg Jones. 

Besides feeding those guys the ball, Knight quite literally helps feed his big, large offensive linemen. Known for their small, quick linemen, the Spartans for the first time have three over 300 pounds. 

Knight’s mother Gail runs a food preparation business and many of the linemen — other players and coaches too — are well fed under the plan. 

“I try to make sure I’m getting them fed right,” Knight said. “Those guys are my protectors right there. We have to build the team up.” 

WHOLE ENCHILADA

Matching last season’s 12-0 regular season won’t be easy, but the Spartans are hoping for a better ending. They lost in the state finals for the seventh time in 10 years, last season to Mater Dei, 37-15, and in 2023 to Mission Viejo, 27-14. 

Knight was on the sideline for both those games at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. 

“We all the playmakers we have, all the speed and returning big lineman and young guys too, we definitely have what it takes to come back and win this whole thing this year,” Knight said. 

Right now, all he’s thinking about is Lakeland, a fast, physical team led defensively by linebacker Malik Morris (Florida commit), defensive lineman Santana Harvey, along with defensive backs Keon Young (Ole Miss), Sammy Etienne (West Virginia) and Jermichael Gillis (South Florida). 

Lakeland has won nine state championships, the last coming in 2023. De La Salle has won seven California titles, all since the advent of the state bowl system starting in 2006.

Lakeland repeated as Class 4S state champs when they defeated Venice in 2023 / Matt Christopher