Deuce Knight hosts inaugural Christmas toy drive

LUCEDALE, Miss. (WXXV) — He’s a hometown hero on the football field, and now he’s giving back to his community.

Auburn quarterback Deuce Knight, a George County graduate, made spirits bright in Lucedale on Tuesday afternoon with his inaugural toy drive.

From breaking records as a freshman in Jordan-Hare Stadium to collecting Christmas gifts to share with local children, Knight has made a big impact in his small town in 2025.

“It’s great to be back here, you know, just come back, give back to my community, just come pour into the place that poured into me and, you know, supported me,” Knight said. “Like I said, I’m back in the park where it’s named after my great-grandpa.”

Benyard Park served as Knight’s home field. A cookout took the place of concession stands. Family and friends became his teammates to give out the dozens of toys set up near the park’s entrance — from Barbie dolls and Lego sets to, of course, plenty of footballs.

Longtime friends even brought their own kids to the event so that they could be inspired by Knight’s desire to use his talents from good.

“It’s good to see him giving back to a person like my child or a lot of these other kids out here, and being from this environment, it just gives other kids the mindset to be like Deuce Knight,” Tedro, a childhood friend of Knight, explained.

Whether inspiring the next generation of athletes or encouraging others to give back when they can, Knight told WXXV that he hopes to continue to make an impact on those littlest faces who look up to him.

“I want to be people they look up to and [say], ‘I want to be like that,'” Knight explained. “So I set a good example for the younger generation.”