Tragedy recently struck Lamar McKnight, a promising former college quarterback who had taken up a job as the head coach of Hudson Catholic in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was one of six people killed in a horrific car accident this past Friday. McKnight and his assistant coach Brad Cunningham and Darryl McKnight, 33, who had recently begun a new job with the state, were among those who perished in the crash in Newark, New Jersey.
LaMar McKnight is known for starting the Lamar McKnight Quarterback Academy in 2017, when he was just 32 years old. Cunningham, 41, played under Greg Schiano at Rutgers.
According to NJ.com, the vehicle they were traveling in was heading south on Raymond Boulevard about 10:45 p.m. when it catapulted over an overpass, hit a support column for the Pulaski Skyway, and erupted in flames.
QB Guru, LaMar McKnight and Brother Killed In Tragic New Jersey Crash Along With Four Others
The unexpected deaths of these rising coaches have led to widespread sorrow and social media reaction. Schiano was among those who took to social media to express heartbreak.
“We are saddened to hear of an accident involving Brad Cunningham, Coach McKnight and four others last night,” he wrote. “Brad Cunningham, member of our first recruiting class, laid the foundation of the Rutgers football program. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brad’s family and the entire Hudson Catholic football family.”
Schiano built Rutgers into a nationally ranked program during his stints with the university. He has been able to compete with schools with more resources by building his teams in the mold of Cunningham, guys who are devoted to football and live to be a part of the future of the game.
In fact, Rutgers’ 2025 recruiting class grew on Wednesday when Schiano flipped Hun School (Princeton, N.J.) three-star linebacker John Insinga, who won Defensive Player of the Year and first-team, All-New Jersey Prep “A” Defensive honors following a productive senior campaign.
Rutgers’ 2025 class entered signing day ranked 26th nationally per the 247Sports Composite. Insinga is ranked the nation’s 152nd-best linebacker, and New Jersey’s No. 41 ranked senior per the same network.
Former pupils also expressed their sorrow on social media.
“this one hurt coach, forever grateful for you,” said one former pupil Taquan Roberson.
“Yall broke my heart,” said another X user, clearly shaken by McKnight’s death.
Who Was Lamar McKnight?
Lamar McKnight was the head football coach at Hudson Catholic and a rising quarterback specialist, who also founded Quarterback Academy. According to their Instagram bio, Quarterback Academy created over 30 quarterbacks who played in NCAA college football programs and various pro leagues, including the NFL, since 2018. McKnight’s career was in full bloom as he was appointed the head coach at Hudson Catholic last year. Prior to that he was with Union City for what he says was “8 amazing years.”
According to QB Magazine, since 2018, he has helped develop and facilitate the signings of numerous quarterbacks to various college programs. Some have attended elite programs and Power 5 schools, among them Purdue, Penn State, NC State, Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers, Princeton, Harvard, Liberty, UConn, and other schools covering all divisions of college football. He clearly had a foothold in developing top QB talent in the Northeast region. The effects of his loss will be felt in the upcoming years.
Lamar McKnight didn’t limit his pupils, offering development to youth athletes and professionals. Even those who weren’t on his team or one of his clients.
Said one X user, quarterback Connor Katz: “Saddened to hear about the passing of Lamar McKnight. While I wasn’t a client of his, he was always willing to do whatever he could to help me at camps and in recruiting. Praying for his family during this difficult time.”
McKnight’s reputation was flawless, and the positive comments kept flowing in.
Said another deeply saddened X user: “Lamar Mcknight one of the best people I’ve known. His life was impeccable, the love he had for making kids better was great. How he was as a person reflected from his great mother who is the best mom in the world.”
LaMar and Darryl McKnight’s Mom Had Intuition About Tragic Crash
According to CBS News, Natasha McKnight, the mother of Lamar and Darryl McKnight was devastated about losing both of her sons, who she says brought joy and laughter to everyone and described them as her ‘heart’.
In an eerie admission, Natasha referenced her intuition that something was terribly awry when her sons’ phones were inactive for an unusual amount of time. eventually her motherly instincts were proved correct when she received the unfathomable news.
“I check my kids’ location all day, all night, every day. And those two never turn them off. So when I noticed that I looked at one of them and the other one was like, the phone was right next to his. I knew something, and it was there for too many hours. So, I started to worry,” “I drove to and found out on social media that it was an accident … And you see my son’s bumper, and that’s how I was able to identify that they were in that car.”
McKnight worked diligently at expanding his brand and opportunities and increasing his knowledge of the game. He regularly attended high-profile events like the NFL scouting combine, Elite 11 Regionals, PSR Combine, Roman’s Soldier’s Showcase, and NUC competitions in New Jersey, all exclusive events where the top quarterbacks, including McKnight’s students, showcased their talent.
