FSU football head coach Mike Norvell talks early signing day, 2025 recruiting class
FSU football head coach Mike Norvell talks early signing day, 2025 recruiting class
Did somebody order a pot roast?
That would be Mike Norvell.
With Norvell’s hunger to fix Florida State football’s defense, Terrance ‘Pot Roast’ Knighton was on the menu.
After FSU officially hires Tony White as the next defensive coordinator, Knighton, who was White’s assistant in Nebraska, will become the next defensive line coach.
Before it was official, Knighton was not hiding from his departure from Nebraska.
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On Wednesday, he posted on his X page showing gratitude from the Cornhuskers with the caption ‘Thank you Nebraska. All love!’
His last tweet was Thursday morning, with an airplane emoji. He is most likely flying to Tallahassee.
Here’s what we know about FSU’s next defensive line coach:
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Who gave Terrance Knighton the nickname ‘Pot Roast’?
Some people might be wondering where Knighton got the nickname ‘Pot Roast.
The famous nickname was discovered during his NFL rookie season when he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He explained it in an article he wrote for the Players’ Tribune on Sept. 16, 2015.
According to the article, Knighton was hungry and flew back to Jacksonville after a game. The flight attendant gave him a choice between Shrimp Alfredo or pot roast. Guess what he took.
“It was pitch dark on the plane because everyone was asleep, so the flight attendants couldn’t really see us,” he explained in the Tribune.
“You had to either raise your hand or press the little overhead light button to get them to notice you. So when the flight attendant came down the aisle saying, “Pot roast, pot roast,” I waved my hand out into the aisle and said, “Right here!”
His teammate, Clint Ingram, jokingly called him pot roast afterward. The rest was history.
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What NFL teams did Terrance Knighton play for?
Knighton has played in the NFL for seven seasons after being selected in the third round out of Temple in the 2009 NFL Draft. Current Nebraska coach Matt Rhule coached him while he was at Temple from 2005 to 2008.
Knighton played for three different teams. He started 96 of the 108 games for the Jaguars (2009-12), Denver Broncos (2013-14), and the Washington Commanders (2015). His last NFL was the New England Patriots, where he was a practice squad player in 2016.
Knighton made the NFL All-Rookie team with the Jaguars and played in Super Bowl XLVIII for the Broncos.
In his career, he recorded 231 career tackles with 34 tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks. He also forced three fumbles, had two fumble recoveries and 11 passes defended with one interception.
His 231 tackles are the 15th most tackles among NFL defensive tackles.
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Terrance Knighton: The coach and father figure
Knighton was missed in Nebraska. The Huskers have spoken dearly about the defensive line coach.
A resurfaced video from Oct. 5 of edge rusher James Williams spoke deeply about Knighton and how much he meant to him as a coach and a father figure.
“He taught me so much about life,” Williams told the Nebraska media.
“I say he is a father figure, but he is really my father. I learned so much about him about life. He helped me through everything. That man means everything to me.”
Knighton has been coaching for six years in both college and the NFL. In his first two years, he coached at Wagner and then joined Rhule’s coaching staff for the Carolina Panthers.
He followed Rhule to Nebraska, as he has been a defensive line coach since 2023. Last season, the Huskers have allowed a rushing touchdown all year. It starts up front in a 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
He was asked about his philosophy in coaching his defensive line in a video clip.
“Gritty playmakers,” Knighton answered.
“We’re gonna do everything the tough way, we’re gonna make plays, but at the same time we’re gonna be tough, we’re gonna be in our gap, we’re gonna play with our hands, and we’re gonna get after people.”
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
