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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As a freshman, Trey Knox was one of the lone bright spots during one of the darkest seasons of Razorback Football. Since head coach Sam Pittman took over, however, he has had to reinvent himself.
Knox posted 28 receptions for 385 yards and three touchdowns across eight games in 2019, but the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native has yet to have any of those totals in 12 games since.
During the 2021 season, Knox began taking snaps as a tight end, and his transition is nearly complete. Weighing in at 215 pounds this time last year, he said he checked in at 227 by season's end.
Even as Knox gained weight, it was difficult at times to transition mid-season, because he had not truly learned to play the position. With some preparation under his belt, he sounded much more confident about 2022.
"Going through the spring and the summer, just really learning how to block D-ends, the footwork that you have to do, the hand placement, the striking," Knox said. "Just all the little details that make you so much better than just being raw strength and playing off of athleticism."
When he stepped on the scale Sunday morning, Knox weighed 245 pounds.
"When he walks through the door, he looks like what a tight end is supposed to look like," tight ends coach Dowell Loggains said.
Loggains tipped his cap to Jamil Walker, the Razorbacks' director of strength and conditioning, for the work he and his staff put in with Knox to get him to this point.
On the other hand, the senior did not shy away from crediting his diet.
"Just eating," Knox said. "Stuffing my face. Eating any and everything. I’ve said it before, literally I was just eating everything. Drinking chocolate milk before bed. Protein shakes. PB and Js. A lot of chicken and steak and potatoes. I love steak and potatoes. But just eating. And also working out, too, and I transformed my body, too. It’s not all bad weight. Like, it’s not bad weight at all. I feel good."
Knox now has the physical build of a tight end, but the key to success at the position is having the mental toughness to adjust, Loggains said. Blocking bigger players is a mindset, and "it's not for everybody."
"It's been a pretty smooth transition because he's so intelligent," Loggains said. "You guys have talked to this kid. He's highly intelligent. He's going to be successful after football. He's going to be successful in life because he's a conceptual thinker. He wants to know the why in everything."
Redshirt junior tight end Hudson Henry, a member of the same freshman class from 2019, praised Knox's movement and blocking ability, and he alluded to the same mental toughness Loggains lauded.
"Trey has done a fantastic job of moving to tight end," Henry said. "A lot of guys can move positions and take it like the coaches don’t want them to do well, the coaches are trying to push them out, but Trey has handled it very well. He’s come in our room and he’s been a great leader."
Knox will get a chance to show off all he has learned over the offseason at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 3, when the Hogs take on Cincinnati Bearcats at home.
