 During his freshman season, McKnight painted "I need $" under his eye blacks to signify his desire to play professional football in the NFL.Before his sophomore season, McKnight was included in "Sports Illustrated" spring list of top ten Heisman Trophy contenders going into the fall.However, his sophomore season was hampered early on by medical conditions, fumbles and injuries, including a nagging metatarsalphalangeal joint sprain that prevented him from playing in two games.