Have you ever wondered why Coach Knox came back to All Saints’ Episcopal School after he graduated from here and went on to play in the NFL? Keep reading and he tells his story why and more on his day-to-day life as Dean of Students at All Saints’.
Coach Knox is a 2014 All Saints’ alumnus, and he went on to play football at The Ohio State University. He was ranked as a 4-star Offensive Guard and the number 10 guard in the Nation. He was ranked as the 18th-best player in the state of Texas via 247Sports. Knox was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was named one of seven recipients of a Rotary Lombardi Award “Chip Off the Old Block” award in 2013 for outstanding play and community service achievements.
At Ohio State, Coach Knox started the final 20 games he played in for the Buckeyes until a lower leg injury in the regular season finale against Michigan in 2018 – a 62-39 victory – sidelined him for his final two games as a Buckeye. After his playing career at Ohio State, he entered the 2019 NFL Draft. He went undrafted and then signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an Undrafted Free Agent. After numerous injuries, Coach Knox decided it was time to step away from playing the game and join the other side of it, Coaching. Coach Knox joined the All Saints staff in 2020 as the Offensive Line Coach. In 2023, he was made the Dean of Students in the Upper School while still Coaching.
Below is an Interview with a more inside-look into what influenced Coach Knox to come back to All Saints’.
Hudson Dalton: Why did you choose to come back to All Saints after your tenure at the Seattle Seahawks?
Demetrius Knox: All Saints’ just made such a huge impact in my life from the teachers here, to coach back down in athletics. I just wanted to come back and do for others like others did for me.
HD: After your playing experience at All Saints, how does that affect the way you coach All Saints players in the same shoes as you once were?
DK: Growing up in this community, I feel like I have a good feel for the parents, and the kids here. And I know what it’s like to be at a college prep school. And I’d like to say I know the balance it takes to be a proper student-athlete here at All Saints, and what it takes to maintain a certain level of academics as long with on-the-field athletics.
HD: What would you say the biggest impact All Saints has had on you?
DK: Everything, I remember telling Coach Beck that my junior year.
HD: What did you do for college? Like what was your major, what did you get your degree in?
DK: It’s a running joke, I told him back then, please let me know because I’m gonna come back here someday and take your job.
HD: What has been your biggest challenge as a coach?
DK: My biggest challenge as a coach, I guess I really don’t have one. Being a coach here and the career path that I’m on right now, it was a dream of mine, just like playing in the NFL was a dream of mine. So I don’t see it as a job, I don’t see it as something that I have to do. This is something that I want to do every single day.
HD: And lastly, what do you expect from the team and especially the offensive line in the upcoming season?
DK: Dominate every game, plain and simple.
