Knowshon Moreno

Knowshon Rockwell Moreno is a professional football player currently signed as a running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was born on July 16, 1987 in Belford, New Jersey.

Moreno declared eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft after a prolific collegiate football career at the University of Georgia. He was selected at the 12th overall pick by the Broncos. After an eight-day holdout, Moreno signed a five-year, $23 million contract, with $13 million in guarenteed money to play for the Broncos.

Freshman Season at Georgia

Moreno redshirted in 2006, but returned in 2007 as a redshirt freshman. After a great spring, Moreno shared time with Thomas Brown as the starting running back in the season opener against Oklahoma State.

Moreno totaled 70 yards on 20 carries with two receptions for 51 yards in the 35-14 win. In the following game against South Carolina, Moreno saw most of the rushing duties with 14 carries for 104 yards in the 12-16 loss. In the third game of the season against Western Carolina, Moreno scored his first career college touchdown in the 45-16 win. His totals on the day were 94 yards on 13 rushes with one touchdown.

Entering the Bulldogs' game against the Vanderbilt Commodores, it was announced that Georgia's starting tailback Thomas Brown would be sidelined with a broken collarbone. Moreno was elevated to starting tailback in Brown's place and responded with 157 yards gained on the ground in a tight 20-17 Bulldog win. In the following week, he continued his impressive season with 188 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 33 carries as Georgia defeated its rival, the Florida Gators.

Against the Troy Trojans the next game, Moreno rushed for 196 yards, joining Herschel Walker as the only player in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards in his freshman season. Moreno rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth straight game in leading the Georgia Bulldogs to a 24-13 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats while totaling 124 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Moreno is the first Georgia tailback since Herschel Walker in 1982 to rush for over 100 yards in five straight games. Through the first ten weeks of the 2007 season, Moreno was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times and SEC Offensive Player of the Week once. He was also named onto the all-SEC first team and was the unanimous SEC Freshman of the Year. Moreno finished the season with 1,334 yards on 248 carries for 14 touchdowns. He also added 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions.


Sophomore Season at Georgia

Knowshon Moreno began his sophomore campaign as a Heisman Trophy favorite. He opened the season with 59 yards on 8 carries for 3 touchdowns and 53 yards on two receptions for a total of 112 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 45-21 win over Georgia Southern. In the following 56-17 win over Central Michigan, Moreno rushed 18 times for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 3 receptions for 30 yards, totaling 198 yards of total offense in the win. The game also provided Moreno with his highlight reel's iconic moment: a hurdle over an upright CMU defender.

In the SEC opener for the Bulldogs against South Carolina, Moreno had 20 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 14-7 win. Next, Moreno and the Bulldogs traveled to Arizona to defeat Arizona State 27-10, led by his 149 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. However, the Bulldogs undefeated record was broken in a 41-30 loss to Alabama. In the loss, Moreno was held to 34 yards and a score on 9 carries. It marked the first time on the season that he was held under 50 yards rushing and 50 yards of total offense. However, Moreno bounced back in the 26-14 win over Tennessee with 101 yards on 27 carries. However, Moreno was held out of the endzone for the first time on the season.

Georgia then defeated Vanderbilt 24-14 to improve their record to 6-1, with Moreno rushing 23 times for a season-high 172 yards and a touchdown. Moreno added onto his season totals in the 52-38 victory against LSU with 163 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Moreno's totals in the two-week effort was 335 yards and two touchdowns on only 44 carries. However, Georgia was handed their second conference loss in a 49-10 bout against Florida, in which Moreno was held to 65 yards on 17 carries. He finished the 2008 season with 1,792 yards of total offense (1,400 rushing on 250 carries and 392 yards on 33 receptions) and scored 18 touchdowns (16 rushing, 2 receiving). He was named the team's offensive MVP.

On January 7, 2009, Moreno announced that he would enter the 2009 NFL Draft.

Moreno was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick.