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Shaleak Knotts looking to breakout for Maryland football in 2024, talks offseason progress

Maryland’s offense has always had veteran wide receivers to lean on under head coach Mike Locksley and 2024 is no different with Tai Felton and Kaden Prather leading the unit into the Aug. 31 season opener. While a set of underclassmen look to separate themselves to create roles, offensive coordinator pointed to Shaleak Knotts as someone “that’s going to shock the world” heading into his third year in the program.


“Punch has had a tremendous spring for us, [a] tremendous, player in our program, just really excited about him,” Gattis added at media day last week. For Shaleak Knotts, a former four-star prospect now out of Monroe High School (NC), his patience through 2022 and 2023 has positioned him with a chance to become a feature player within the offense.


“Since me staying down for two years, being behind some great guys in the upper classes, it taught me a lot of things on the way,” Knotts told IBG. “They set the standard for us as young guys. Coming out every Saturday, taking the game serious and going out there and handling their job. It gave me an opportunity to get my feet wet early to see how it really goes and me being able to be in the position I am this year, having the opportunity to play, I just have to take advantage of that. With it being my time now, I’ve just got it take it all in and like I said, take it day by day.”


The unit made a seamless transition during the offseason coaching change as Knotts got a chance to work closer with Gattis who “sees a lot in his receivers.” While Gattis’s background as a receiver coach puts him back in a familiar role in College Park, Knotts has more support he can turn to. Offensive GA Tim Morris has been with the program since 2021, while Derek Kief returned to the program as an offensive analyst after serving as a GA back in 2020 and 2021.

After transitioning to the WR coach at Towson in 2022 and then in a senior quality control role at Arkansas in 2023, Kief was announced as Missouri State’s new wide receiver coach back in mid-March. Then head coach Mike Locksley called with a chance to return to College Park before pouncing on the opportunity, giving Knotts and the rest of the receiver room an experienced coach to turn to.


“Tim has been here since my freshman year so he’s been in my ear, on my shoulder, helping me out whenever I need it through the hard times, the good times,” Knotts added. “[Derek] Kief, he’s a great person. Always teaching us – routes, releases. Anything we need, they’re always there for us.”


That helped Knotts prioritize the details of his daily craft through the offseason where he and the receiver room spent ample time inside Jones-Hill House through the summer.


“Just doing the right things on and off the field. Just making sure I better myself each and every day, competing with my teammates. Those guys make me better each and every day having older guys in the room to push me, tell me the right things, tell me what’s wrong.”


After posting 80 yards and 12 catches through 19 games, Shaleak Knotts will look to record his first career touchdown in 2024 and he knows what a successful season looks like in his eyes.

“I want to run great routes, be a team player, contribute to wins, like I said and just be a guy.”


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