“Sewanee molded me. It really helped with who I am and what I’m doing today.”
Alfonza Knight, C’12, isn’t exactly in a league of his own, but he’s close—to his knowledge, only a handful of Sewanee graduates have worked as professional football scouts. One of those alumni is Phil Savage Jr., C’87, recent interim general manager for the New York Jets, who started his career as a scout for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. In early 2013, when Knight was trying to get a foothold in the world of scouting, he capitalized on Savage’s shared connection to the Mountain. “I knew he’d gone to Sewanee, so I wrote him a bunch of letters. I filled up his mailbox. Finally, he was like, ‘All right, I’ll give this kid a call back.’”
Knight’s persistence paid off—Savage offered him a job as staff assistant at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, which Knight describes as “the mecca of football.” At the time, Savage was serving as the Senior Bowl’s executive director. During his year of working alongside Savage, Knight met several employees of the Arizona Cardinals. “One thing led to another, and I was invited to Arizona for a job interview,” Knight says. “I got the [scouting] job, and I’ve been here for 11 years.”
Unsurprisingly, football was central to Knight’s Sewanee experience, though he says the University’s strong academic reputation was a more important factor in his college search. In gratitude for his time on the Domain, he now contributes regularly to the Sewanee Fund. “Sewanee molded me,” he says. “It really helped with who I am and what I’m doing today.”
Growing up in Nashville, Knight attended Montgomery Bell Academy and bonded with Robert Black, C’89, P’22, P’25, who taught and coached there. Black went on to serve as Sewanee’s head football coach from 2007 to 2010, and Knight says it felt natural to join him on the Mountain. As a Sewanee defensive back, Knight helped the Tigers secure the Edmund Orgill Trophy by defeating Rhodes College in 2011. “We went five and five [in wins and losses] that year,” he says. “That was the most wins I’d had in one year. I loved it.”
With support from Professor of Anthropology Celeste Ray, Knight was able to translate his enthusiasm for football into meaningful academic research. As a thesis project, he studied the implications of changes in the football program at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School. “I looked at their move from an 11-man team to seven men—trying to see how it affected the psyches of the players and coaches,” he says. “Shrinking the numbers made them more competitive.” Knight credits Ray with deepening his interest in cultural anthropology and helping him discern a career path.
Another Sewanee mentor, Knight says, was the late Eric Benjamin, C’73, P’08, who served the University for nearly 40 years, co-founding the Sewanee Summer Scholars Program and overseeing multicultural initiatives. “He was a complete legend around Sewanee,” Knight says. “You could talk to him about anything, and he gave great advice.” Knight recalls how Benjamin assisted football players who didn’t have the financial means to purchase suits and other formalwear for special occasions. “He was a man with a huge heart, and he presented that daily.”
Through Sewanee athletics, Knight became friends with Jimmy Porterfield, C’12, who introduced him to the concept of scouting as a professional pursuit and a way to stay engaged in football after leaving the Mountain. “After we graduated, he went to work [in scouting] for the Baltimore Ravens, and they won the Super Bowl while he was there,” Knight says. “He got a Super Bowl ring and everything. We still text back and forth, and I tell him all the time I appreciate the [career] idea.”
Though Knight doesn’t yet have any Super Bowl rings, he’s been honored by the Cardinals for his determination and talent. In 2024, he received the team’s Rod Graves Award, which is given annually to recognize outstanding work in scouting. In the months leading up to the draft, he says, you’ll find him traveling to at least four colleges or universities per week, speaking with faculty and football coaches about standout players. “Talking to academic departments is huge for me,” he says. While a 4.0 GPA isn’t required, Knight says, he looks at attendance and academic records as signs of a player’s maturity level and work ethic. His advice to aspiring professional ball players? “Handle your business. Be where you’re supposed to be.”
Knight describes his Sewanee philanthropy as driven, in part, by his desire “to help the next person who has aspirations of working in athletics.” He was the first man in his family to graduate from college, and now, he says, “I get to meet people, talk to them, and watch football for a living. I love what I do.”
