Former Auburn safety signs with USFL’s Gamblers

On Friday, the Houston Gamblers announced that they had signed former Auburn safety Bydarrius Knighten. This news comes three weeks after Knighten received an invite to the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp.

Knighten transferred to the Plains from Southeast Missouri State. He was a four-year starter at safety for the Redhawks. Over the course of those four seasons in Cape Girardeau, he was named as an All-OVC selection twice. He recorded 255 tackles and six interceptions during his time in the FCS. After the 2020 season ended, Knighten decided to enter the transfer portal.

He chose to transfer to Auburn where he served as a starting safety for Derek Mason’s defense. In his lone season at Auburn, he tallied 46 tackles and two interceptions. Since he was a fifth-year senior, Knighten had to enter his name into the 2022 NFL draft.

After going undrafted, he received the opportunity to attend rookie minicamp with the Chicago Bears. Things didn’t go as planned, so he will now focus on making the most of his opportunity with the Houston Gamblers. Several other players in the league are Sal Cannella, Christian Tutt, Marquis McClain, Calvin Ashley, Xavier Dampeer, and John Franklin III. It will be interesting to see what Knighten does with the Gamblers moving forward.