FAYETTEVILLE — Trey Knox made a name for himself at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as a receiver, blossoming into a potential-rich 4-star prospect by all the major recruiting services.
But he also dabbled with a couple of other positions — outside linebacker and, in certain situations, fullback. Knox was explosive off the edge defensively, Kit Hartsfield, his high school coach, recalled, and always had the frame to play the position effectively.
At fullback, he every so often hauled in passes up the seams when the mismatch presented itself. Knox, too, totaled 301 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his final prep season.
He was at his best, though, at receiver. Knox was steady and his numbers were solid, making it difficult to justify adding more to his workload or transitioning him to another position on the field.
That didn’t stop Hartsfield from poking some fun at Knox about the idea.
“We joked all the time and told him he was going to be a tight end,” Hartsfield said. “He was actually open to it from the beginning. Typically we’d just joke with him and tell him he’s too slow and just aggravate him. He’d always take it really well.”
Knox, Hartsfield added, would regularly fire back with a joke of his own, all in good fun. Then came the serious conversations.
“We’d say, ‘No, really, this is what makes you different,’” he said. “Being able to take this skillset, put your hand in the ground and match up with linebackers and safeties, we knew that was something he could be good at and have a future at. You’ve got to find what makes you different and gives you the leg up.
“He’s a smart kid, so I just made him aware there’s 6-4 receivers that run a 4.6 or 4.7 all over the country, so if he could put some weight on and carry the same speed with the receiver skillset, those are the guys playing multiple years in the NFL.
“I think he was smart enough to know that might be his ticket.”
Knox was a freshman standout for the Razorbacks, finishing third on the team in receiving yards and in a tie for second in touchdown catches. The next season he admittedly struggled with a lack of confidence and totaled only seven receptions for 70 yards.
Even his 2021 season has been a roller coaster, Knox said this week, as he has attempted to find his fit in the program and on the field. He began that quest by circling back to his talks with Hartsfield.
Prior to Arkansas’ home game against Texas, Knox began working with the Razorbacks’ tight ends. It was his idea.
“(To the coaches), I was like, 'Move me to tight end. I feel like I can be really good at tight end. I know I can block. Being the hybrid kind of guy, that's what a lot of NFL teams like,’” Knox said. “I just thought it's a thing that I should bite at and I would have great success with."
The 6-5 target’s receiving numbers (9 catches, 63 yards, 1 touchdown) are not eye-popping, but he has been reliable when targeted in the passing game, particularly in late-game scenarios, and displayed sound blocking ability.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman and a number of Knox’s teammates have commended his crafty hand work when creating space for ball carriers and receivers after the catch. Blocking is a want-to thing, Hartsfield said, and Knox has the drive.
“He’s only going to get better with experience,” Hartsfield added. “It’s not always a smooth transition for receivers, because they’re now having to hit guys twice their size instead of guys smaller than them. As long as he continues to work at it and keeps the want-to, the sky is going to be the limit for him.
“He’s going to be willing to outwork the competition.”
Pittman said Wednesday that because Knox wanted the move to tight end that it has made his transition smoother. He made it work.
The Razorbacks’ second-year coach echoed Hartsfield in that tight end is his best opportunity to potentially have a professional career. Pittman noted it would be beneficial if Knox, weight-wise, eventually reached at least the 240-pound mark.
“I mean, he goes from average wide receiver speed to a fast tight end,” Pittman said. “He has great hands. I’m talking about in the blocking. Any time you’re thin or you’re not heavy, in order to have success, same way with a tackle or whatever, you have to be good with your hands. He’s really good with his hands.
“Once he gains that weight, I think he’s going to have a lot more power. I think he can be an NFL-type tight end.”
For Hartsfield, it has been nice to see his former standout grow through the adversity he has faced the last two seasons and find unique ways to help Arkansas offensively.
According to Pro Football Focus, Knox has played 72 snaps as an inline tight end and 49 in the slot. Entering Saturday’s road game against LSU, he has been targeted by quarterback KJ Jefferson 10 times with a 90% completion rate.
“The success he’s had, him just being out there, I’m very comfortable with him being out there,” Jefferson said. “I know he can create mismatches as far as being a flex tight end. We can put him at outside receiver or in the box. He’s just a great guy overall.”
Though he has produced admirably in two of the Razorbacks’ last four games, the season as a whole has been yet another test of his mental toughness. Knox saw the field for only 36 snaps in the first five weeks of the schedule.
He now, though, appears to have created a path for himself to make a difference.
“You try not to ride those roller coaster emotions,” Knox said. “You try to stay even keel and just try to play ball the best you can. It's been pretty tough, but you've just got to keep pushing through it, because eventually your time is going to come.
“You've got to be able to answer the call."