There’s something you don’t see every day.
Friday, Michigan State announced that defensive tackle Damon Knox will not be returning to the Spartans for a sixth season. The reason? The lineman has decided to pursue a career in the field of law enforcement.
Knox had been a participant in spring practice, so the decision to forego his final season of eligibility could be described as unexpected. Taking it even further, Knox was a projected starter heading out of the spring, so it’s a rather significant blow to MSU’s line on that side of the ball.
“Damon has been a major contributor to our success the past five years,” head coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement. “We appreciate his time and commitment to the Michigan State football program and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
While Knox was eligible for a sixth season, he hadn’t even submitted the required paperwork for the waiver, mlive.com reported.
As CSNChicago.com noted, “Knox was supposed to help fill the voids left by three departing starters — Shilique Calhoun, Joel Heath and Lawrence Thomas — from last season’s defensive line.” Malik McDowell is the lone returning starter.
The last three seasons, Knox played in 38 games, starting three of those contests.
Knox becomes the third defensive lineman to leave the program this spring. Back in April, MSU announced that sophomores Craig Evans and Montez Sweat had left the program.