[9] Knight placed 143rd overall at the 2014 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, which he would later describe as motivation for improvement, stating "I remember races I've lost in great detail.

At the 2016 NCAA DI Indoor Track & Field Championships, Knight finished in third place in the 3000 meters final round.

He made the event final and placed ninth overall in the 5000 m.[3] He had said he was "happy but not satisfied" with this finish, and in the future would need to expect more from himself.

[13] Upon graduation to the professional ranks, Knight signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok's Boston Track Club.

[3] He won a bronze medal in the 5000 m at 2018 NACAC Championships, but by 2019 was struggling with the transition to the professional scene, as it required him to spend more time away from friends and family.

This led to a decline in his physical fitness, and upon arriving to compete at the 2019 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, he was twenty pounds overweight.

[17] The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the Games being delayed by a full year, and made training for elite athletics more challenging, as he had to work without teammates from March to October 2020 and could not see his family.