Akron football player Jalen Knight wins vehicle through program aiding military members

Jalen Knight took a moment to wipe tears of joy from his mother's face before they posed for a photograph to mark the occasion.

A University of Akron student and member of the Army National Guard, Knight had just learned he would receive a new vehicle through Progressive insurance company's Keys to Progress program.

“It's life changing for him,” said Jennifer Mueller, a coordinator for UA's Military Services Center.

When Brittany Wrobleski, a claims generalist at Progressive and its organizer for Keys to Progress in the Cleveland area, surprised Knight and members of his family Tuesday afternoon by informing them he had been chosen as a winner, his mom, Alrae Greene, shrieked with excitement in the Musson Veterans Lounge on the third floor of InfoCision Stadium.

Hugs were shared. High-fives were exchanged. Eyes were watery.

“It's going to work wonders for me and my family,” said Knight, a 2018 Archbishop Hoban High School graduate who won three football state titles with the Knights and is a backup wide receiver for the Zips.

Knight, 23, has been driving a 2007 Honda Accord that has about 200,000 miles on it. The Honda replaced a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu that was totaled, he said, in a car accident a couple of Christmases ago.

“His car is truly on its last leg,” his sister, England Knight, 21, said. “It makes so much noise. It's ready to give up at any moment.”

Knight explained he and his mom have been sharing the Honda. The arrangement is filled with obstacles because of his jam-packed schedule conflicting, at times, with his mom's job responsibilities at Positive Image Salon in Akron.

Knight commutes to school and juggles sports business coursework with football, National Guard obligations, a summertime security gig in Cleveland and a job with the LeBron James Family Foundation as museum curator at House Three Thirty in the former Tangier restaurant and entertainment complex. He plans to graduate from UA in December.

“If you could put 'hard work' next to somebody's name, it's Jalen Knight,” said Greene, who was born and raised in Akron like the two children she raised by herself. “This kid is a hard worker, and he deserves it.

“You wonder as a parent, 'Do you give them what they need? Did you give all you could to them?' He just gives back so much, and to see him get something so great, it's just awesome. It's just a blessing.”

To apply for the vehicle, Knight had to write an essay. Mueller aided him throughout the process, which took a few weeks this summer, and counted seven or eight revisions they made together.

“He is truly a standout student,” Mueller said. “Personality, academically, just a really great kid. The essay he presented was very heartfelt and real. His struggle is real. College is hard. It's a challenge.

“He acknowledged his family in a lot of the essay, and it just shows his character and how he doesn't just think of himself at a very young age. He's very aware of his family around him.”

In its 10th year, Progressive's Keys to Progress program donates vehicles to veterans or active military personnel. Progressive will choose a vehicle for Knight and gift it to him Nov. 10, the eve of Veterans Day. The prize package also includes six months of Progressive insurance, a warranty plan through Pep Boys Auto Service & Tires and donations from Progressive employees, Wrobleski said.

Knight said he received some college scholarship offers from Division II football programs, but he still would have needed to pay about $5,000 in tuition per semester. He instead decided to join the Army National Guard in July 2018 and UA's football team as a walk-on.

“Where I come from, we just didn't have that type of money [for college],” Knight said. “I just took it upon myself to join the Army, and they said my tuition would be paid for. It was kind of cool to stay close to home for college and still look out for my little sister and mom.”

Knight's sister, mom and maternal grandmother, Cynthia Taylor, were with him when he heard the good news Tuesday. UA officials told Knight he would be attending a photo shoot and his family he would be receiving an award.

They were all elated upon discovering the plot twist.

“I'm proud of him,” Taylor said. “I'm just overwhelmed with joy for him.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron football player wins car through program for military