BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • Tampa Bay No. 38
Current official roster portrait: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cornerback • Special teams • Second NFL season
A Florida football journey comes to Tampa Bay
Kevin Knowles II
- Born
- April 9, 2003 • Age 23
- Hometown
- Hollywood, Florida
- Listed size
- 5 feet 11 inches • 190 pounds
- High school
- McArthur • Hollywood, Florida
- College
- Florida State University • 2021–2024
- NFL entry
- Undrafted free agent • Kansas City • 2025
- NFL teams
- Kansas City Chiefs → Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Current team
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers • No. 38
Sources: current Buccaneers profile, Florida State biography and Kansas City’s rookie signing announcement, with birth date from the 2025 Chiefs media guide, p. 295.
Sources and scope: NFL regular-season record and original Florida State season records.
Watch No. 38 when Tampa Bay’s kicking team takes the field. When the Buccaneers added Kevin Knowles II, Todd Bowles identified the young cornerback’s work as a gunner and on kickoff coverage as a reason to bring him aboard. The team’s explanation of his role.
There is plenty for the Krewe to follow in that assignment: getting past a blocker, closing the space around a returner and staying with the play when the football comes loose. Knowles’s road to those opportunities has taken him from South Florida to Tallahassee, through an undrafted rookie season in Kansas City and back to Florida in a Buccaneers uniform.
Hollywood → Tallahassee → Kansas City → Tampa Bay
Earning the next opportunity
McArthur to Florida State Four seasons in garnet and gold.
Knowles attended McArthur High School in Hollywood, Florida before joining Florida State. His college career spanned 2021 through 2024, with 50 appearances and 32 starts. His university biography; the annual records.
An undrafted opening Kansas City, 2025.
The Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2025. The original rookie signing announcement.
He moved between the practice squad and active roster during that first season, appearing in 13 regular-season games. His work included 10 kick-coverage tackles. Tampa Bay’s review of his rookie year.
A move back to Florida Tampa Bay, 2026.
Tampa Bay claimed Knowles off Kansas City waivers on September 1, 2026, adding a cornerback with kick-coverage experience before the opener. The NFL transaction record; the Buccaneers’ acquisition report.
He has appeared in all eight Buccaneers games through Week 8. Those appearances are documented individually below, including the games in which he did not record a tackle. The gamebook record.
October 8, 2026 • Week 5 at Dallas
A loose football and possession at the 37
Special-teams takeaway
37
THE DALLAS YARD LINE WHERE HE RECOVERED
Tampa Bay finished with a 24–16 victory.
With Tampa Bay ahead 21–10 in the third quarter, Miles Killebrew forced kickoff returner KaVontae Turpin to fumble. Knowles secured the loose ball at the Cowboys’ 37-yard line, giving the Buccaneers another possession. The official play-by-play.
The offense moved into range for a 41-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal, extending the lead to 24–10. Dallas later scored, but Tampa Bay finished with a 24–16 win. The scoring record; the recovery highlight.
The play credits both jobs: Killebrew forced the fumble, and Knowles completed the takeaway with the recovery.
Cornerback • Coverage units
An assignment with room to make an impact
Getting downfield
In its September 2026 coverage, Tampa Bay explained the need for another gunner while Josh Hayes was on injured reserve. Bowles pointed to Knowles’s ability on punts and kickoffs.
A gunner lines up wide on the punt team and can begin the pursuit at the snap. Beating the blocker and reaching the returner helps determine where the next possession begins. The Buccaneers’ description of the assignment.
What the current record shows
Through November 1, the eight original gamebooks credit Knowles with 146 special-teams snaps and no defensive snaps for Tampa Bay. His coverage work produced nine tackles and the Dallas fumble recovery. Each appearance and its source.
The tables preserve the distinction between defensive work and coverage work, while counting every actual appearance. The Dallas recovery is tracked with special teams.
Florida State • September 16, 2022
A first interception that closed the game
Florida State led 35–31, but Louisville had crossed midfield with a final chance to answer. Knowles intercepted with 37 seconds remaining, ending that threat and preserving the Seminoles’ victory on September 16, 2022. Florida State’s original game report.
It was his first college interception, as recorded in his university biography. The return gained no yards; securing possession was the decisive part of the play.
NFL regular season • 2025–2026
Kansas City and Tampa Bay: the NFL record
The regular-season record covers 2025 with Kansas City and 2026 with Tampa Bay through November 1, Week 8. Every appearance is verified in an original NFL gamebook. Defensive and special-teams tackles are shown separately. An asterisk marks the incomplete 2026 season; preseason games are excluded.
| Season | Team | G | GS | DEF snaps | Solo | Ast | DEF TKL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | KC | 13 | 0 | 82 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.0 | 2 |
| 2026* | TB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| Career | KC / TB | 21 | 0 | 82 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.0 | 2 |
G = games played; GS = defensive starts; DEF snaps = defensive plays; Solo + Ast = DEF TKL; PD = passes defended. The five defensive tackles and two passes defended all came in 2025. Across these two seasons he has no credited defensive sack, tackle for loss, quarterback hit, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery or safety. KC = Kansas City; TB = Tampa Bay.
Special teams: coverage and recoveries
| Season | Team | ST snaps | ST Solo | ST Ast | ST TKL | Own FR | Opp FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | KC | 231 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026* | TB | 146 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | KC / TB | 377 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
ST = special teams; ST TKL = ST Solo + ST Ast. Own FR records a recovery of his own team’s fumble or muff; Opp FR records an opponent’s. Knowles recovered teammate Nikko Remigio’s muffed punt at the Kansas City 6-yard line on December 21, 2025, preserving possession. His October 8, 2026 recovery at Dallas was a takeaway. Neither recovery gained return yards or scored a touchdown. The Tennessee recovery play.
The gamebooks credit no special-teams forced fumble, blocked kick or safety in either season. Snap counts are labeled unofficial in the NFL gamebooks.
Solo/assist source difference: the original 2026 books total four solo tackles and five assists; the current Buccaneers profile shows three solo and six assists. Week 1 is two solo tackles in the original gamebook, versus one solo and one assist on the profile. Both sources total nine tackles. These tables consistently use the original gamebooks, checked November 3, 2026.
2025 Kansas City gamebook sources
NFL postseason: Knowles has no playoff appearances as of this page’s cutoff. Kansas City was eliminated from the 2025 playoff race; the 2026 postseason has not yet been played.
September 13–November 1, 2026
This season, game by game
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | G | GS | DEF snaps | ST snaps | ST Solo | ST Ast | ST TKL | Opp FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 13 | @ CIN | L 27–33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | Sep 20 | vs. CLE | L 19–23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Sep 27 | vs. MIN | L 16–23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Oct 4 | vs. GB | L 14–17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Oct 8 | @ DAL | W 24–16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Oct 18 | vs. PIT | L 19–26 (OT) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | Oct 25 | @ CAR | W 43–13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | Nov 1 | vs. ATL | W 16–0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026 total | Through Nov 1 | Tampa Bay | — | 8 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
All eight rows are actual appearances, with zero defensive snaps and 146 special-teams snaps in total. GS = starts; Opp FR = special-teams recoveries of an opponent’s fumble. The Dallas recovery belongs in that column. A zero tackle entry still counts as an appearance. See the Week 1 solo/assist source difference.
Results are from Tampa Bay’s perspective; vs. = home, @ = away, OT = overtime. CIN = Cincinnati; CLE = Cleveland; MIN = Minnesota; GB = Green Bay; DAL = Dallas; PIT = Pittsburgh; CAR = Carolina; ATL = Atlanta. Snap counts are labeled unofficial in the gamebooks.
Original NFL gamebooks: Week 1 — CIN; Week 2 — CLE; Week 3 — MIN; Week 4 — GB; Week 5 — DAL; Week 6 — PIT; Week 7 — CAR; Week 8 — ATL.
Florida State University • 2021–2024
Four seasons with the Seminoles
Knowles played four seasons at Florida State, 2021–2024, with no redshirt year. His record totals 50 appearances and 32 starts. The two bowl games and 2023 ACC Championship appearance are already included in these annual figures.
| Season | G | GS | Solo | Ast | TKL | TFL | TFL YDS | Sacks | Sack YDS | QH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 1.5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 24 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 13 | 3 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 9 | 32 | 2.0 | 12 | 1.0 | 7 | 1 |
| Career | 50 | 32 | 69 | 44 | 113 | 4.0 | 14 | 1.0 | 7 | 2 |
G = appearances; GS = starts; Solo + Ast = total tackles; TFL = tackles for loss, including sacks; YDS = credited yards lost; QH = quarterback hurries. Shared tackles can produce fractional TFL. The career tackle total is 69 solo + 44 assisted = 113.
Original university records: 2021 final statistics; 2022 final statistics; 2023 final statistics; 2024 final statistics. Starts are also documented in the 2024 team guide, PDF p. 13 and final roster biography. Knowles played 13 of Florida State’s 14 games in 2023.
Pass breakups, interceptions and fumbles
| Season | PBU | INT | INT YDS | INT LNG | INT TD | FF | FR | FR YDS | FR TD | BLK | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
PBU = pass breakups, excluding interceptions. His 11 PBU plus one interception equal 12 passes defended. INT YDS/LNG/TD = interception-return yards, longest return and touchdowns. A dash in INT LNG means no interception that season; his one interception had a zero-yard return, so 2022 and career long are both 0. FF/FR = forced fumbles/recoveries; FR YDS/TD = fumble-return yards/touchdowns; BLK = blocked kicks. All four years have zero FF, FR, blocked kicks and safeties.
Sources: the four original annual records above; the 2022 interception-return table and FSU career table identifying PBU.
Bowls and the ACC Championship
| Date | Event | Opponent | Location | Result | G | GS | Solo | Ast | TKL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-12-29 | Cheez-It Bowl | Oklahoma | Orlando, Florida | W 35–32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023-12-02 | ACC Championship Game | Louisville | Charlotte, North Carolina | W 16–6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-12-30 | Orange Bowl | Georgia | Miami Gardens, Florida | L 3–63 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Subset total | 2 bowls + ACC title game | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
These three games are a subset, already included in the college totals. The two bowls account for two appearances, one start and four tackles. The ACC Championship adds one reserve appearance with no credited defensive statistic. Knowles is listed in that game’s official participation record.
The Cheez-It Bowl was at Camping World Stadium in Orlando; the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte; the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Results are from Florida State’s perspective. No TFL, sack, quarterback hurry, pass breakup, interception, forced fumble, recovery, blocked kick or safety was credited in these three games.
Official box scores and participation: 2022 Oklahoma; 2023 Louisville championship; 2023 Georgia.
Florida State • Academics & team honors
Recognition on campus
A Florida State graduate B.S. in Social Science, spring 2024.
Knowles earned his Bachelor of Science in Social Science while playing at Florida State. The university’s 2024 graduate roster records the degree and graduation term. The official graduate list, PDF p. 10.
Three academic selections All-ACC Academic Team.
Florida State’s February 2025 announcement recognized Knowles as a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree. The honor considers both academic performance and participation on the field. Florida State’s February 2025 announcement.
The Monk Bonasorte Award A 2024 team honor.
Knowles received the Monk Bonasorte Award, presented by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club to the defensive player who showed the most heart. Florida State’s official season award list.
Sources & statistical notes
The records behind the spotlight
- Identity and football route: the current Buccaneers roster, Florida State biography, 2025 Chiefs guide, Kansas City rookie announcement and NFL waiver record.
- Education and recognition: Florida State’s earned-degree list, All-ACC Academic announcement and 2024 team awards.
- Role and college milestone: Tampa Bay’s September 2026 updates and Florida State’s original Louisville game report.
- NFL statistics: all 13 Kansas City gamebooks from 2025 and all eight Tampa Bay gamebooks through Week 8 of 2026, linked beside the tables. Defensive and special-teams tackles remain separate. The Week 1 solo/assist difference and both recoveries’ ownership are explained above.
- College statistics: Florida State’s original final season records for 2021–2024, university biography and actual bowl/championship box scores. The 11 pass breakups exclude the interception. The separate bowl/championship table does not add games to the career total.
- Dallas recovery: the official NFL Week 5 gamebook and Buccaneers highlight. The forced fumble belongs to Miles Killebrew; the recovery belongs to Knowles.
- Portrait: the current official Buccaneers roster image.
Updated November 3, 2026. NFL regular-season statistics stop after November 1, 2026, Week 8. Preseason is excluded. College bowl and conference-championship appearances are already included in the college annual totals. Statistical definitions and source differences are explained beside the relevant tables.