ARCANUM – Truman Knaus, the son of Andrew and Susanna Knaus signed to continue his education while playing football for the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats football program.
“When I was a kid, I wanted to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, so I definitely thought about it,” Knaus said of playing college ball. “I changed my mind a few times, and my MCL injury changed my mind again.”
The Arcanum three-sport senior plans to major in business and entrepreneurship while attending IWU.
“An exciting day for our starting tight end,” said Arcanum football coach Matt Macy. “Truman Knaus had a great year, and Indiana Wesleyan saw what we saw. He developed later in his career and became a tremendous weapon for us.”
“Truman is an outstanding young man with a great work ethic and a positive attitude,” said Arcanum-Butler High School Principal Ty Cates. “He leads the Trojan Way. We are extremely proud of him, and he is a great role model for our kids to look up to. Anytime your student-athlete goes to the next level, it’s a complement to your program and your school.”
A senior season MCL football injury slowed the 6’4” 220-pound Knaus down before he returned to the lineup to close out his Trojans football career in the OHSAA playoffs. The midseason injury had Knaus questioning his ability to play football at the next level.
“When we lost Truman for three or four games this season, it hurt us,” Coach Macy noted. “We had to redo what we were doing offensively. It happened right before the meat of our schedule, but we got him back in the playoffs. He’s a difference maker, and if he would have stayed healthy, he would have been in the running for defensive player of the year in the conference, but that’s the way it goes.”
“When I first got here, Truman was a sophomore offensive lineman, not terribly athletic,” added Macy. “Some switch clicked, and he became a monster on both sides of the ball and irreplaceable for us.”
“I changed my mind a few different times, and with my MCL injury, I definitely changed my mind again,” Knaus said. “It detoured me a little bit, but then I realized that now I’m fit to play again, so I reached back out and made it work.”
“Indiana Wesleyan has somebody who is yet to play his best game, tremendous potential in college,” Macy said. “He just keeps growing, and at this point, he looks like a defensive end, but I think they’re going to bring him in as a tight end.”
Truman believes Indiana Wesleyan is a good fit for him in the classroom and field.
“I picked Indiana Wesleyan because I visited them a few times in the summer,” Knaus noted. “I got an email from John Dutton, the tight ends coach. He said he wanted me to come out, so I visited several times over the summer and went to some camps. They liked how I played. Then, I had my MCL injury. I told them I wasn’t interested anymore. Then, mid basketball season and post basketball season, I decided I wanted to play again.”
Knaus thanked God and the many who helped him achieve his goal of playing college football.
“I thank God and then my family,” said Knaus. “My teammates and all my coaches that I have had throughout the years encouraged me to keep playing football and other sports too because it kept me in good physical shape – so everybody, but God first.”
“He’s a good enough athlete and a good enough player that he will fit,” Coach Macy concluded. “He’ll fit right in, and I believe in Indiana Wesleyan and that conference.”
