Penn State Poised to Hire Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles Away From Ohio State

Penn State is turning its vacant defensive coordinator position into a 2025 mission statement by closing in on hiring Jim Knowles away from the national-champion Ohio State Buckeyes. Multiple reports Sunday, including from Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times, have Penn State hiring Knowles, a 37-year coaching veteran who annually is one of the most sought-after names on search lists, as its new defensive coordinator. Knowles would join a Penn State football program seeking to follow Michigan and Ohio State in winning national championships.

Knowles' hiring is not official. The Penn State Board of Trustees' Committee on Equity and Human Resources, which approves high-figure university contracts, is scheduled to meet at 8 a.m. ET Monday on a personnel matter. Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports reported that Knowles received a three-year offer worth "about $3.1 million" per year. That would make Knowles the highest-paid assistant coach in the nation, according to USA Today. Penn State officially does not release salaries for assistant coaches, but the reported compensation package would make Knowles the university's third-highest-paid employee behind football coach James Franklin and athletic director Pat Kraft, per Penn State's 2024 Right-to-Know Law report.

It’ll be a three-year deal for Jim Knowles at Penn State. He’ll make about $3.1 million per year, per source. https://t.co/1ryiEFmBJV
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 26, 2025

If agreed to, the hire would be among Franklin's splashiest moves in his 11 years with the program. Franklin hired Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator in 2022 and then Tom Allen last season, both of whom helped produce 34 wins over three years with defenses that ranked fourth, fourth and seventh, respectively, according to the ESPN College Football Power Index. Franklin would task Knowles with turning Penn State's already elite defense into a championship unit as he did at Ohio State.

"I think Jim Knowles is the best defensive coordinator in the country," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said before the College Football Playoff championship game. "I think what he's done this season and how he's built it over the years has been tremendous, and I think he deserves all the credit in the world for building that because we've come a long way on defense in the last couple years."

In three seasons with the Buckeyes, Knowles built the nation's third-ranked defense, according to the ESPN FPI, and one that led the Power 4 in multiple statistical categories last season. They included scoring defense (12.9 ppg), total defense (254.6 ypg) and red-zone conversions (18.42 percent). Ohio State allowed just three offensive plays of 40+ yards this season and just 1.5 touchdowns per game.

Most important, Knowles' defenses made Penn State miserable the past two seasons. The Nittany Lions scored one offensive touchdown against the Buckeyes in their last two meetings. In 2023, the Nittany Lions managed 49 rushing yards and scored their only touchdown with 29 seconds remaining against Ohio State. Last November, Ohio State became the first team in 10 years to hold Penn State without an offensive touchdown in a game. That afternoon at Beaver Stadium included an end-zone interception and the famous late goal-line stand, which the Buckeyes made a theme of their season.

"Obviously the last two years they've played really good defense," Franklin said of Ohio State before the 2024 game at Beaver Stadium. "Really over the last number of years they've played really good defense. But I think since coach Knowles has been there, he's taken them to a whole other level."

Knowles made an immediate impact at Ohio State in 2022, taking the Buckeyes from 59th to 14th in total defense. Prior to that Knowles spent four seasons at Oklahoma State, where he served one year on staff with former Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. His 2021 Cowboys defense led the FBS in sacks, ranked second in tackles for loss and third-down defense and was fifth in total defense and rushing defense. Oklahoma State led the Big 12 in all five categories.

Knowles, 59, has been an in-demand coordinator since December. He was linked to the still-open defensive coordinator position at Oklahoma, which reporters asked about before the CFP championship game against Notre Dame.

"Just trying to beat Notre Dame,” Knowles said. "That’s all I’m focused on. You are right, these things happen, I guess, when you have success."

This past week, Knowles reportedly had an offer as well from Notre Dame, whose defensive coordinator Al Golden left for the Cincinnati Bengals. According to Football Scoop, Penn State 's offer topped that of Oklahoma. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Ohio State sought to counter the offers with a contract extension that also would have made Knowles the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football.

Like Penn State's past two defensive coordinators, Knowles also is a former head coach. He led Cornell, his alma mater, to a 26-34 record from 2004-09, an historical improvement considering Knowles led the program to three straight .500 or better seasons. That had not happened at Cornell over the previous 14 years.

Knowles, a Philadelphia native who played linebacker at St. Joseph's Prep, also has been a defensive coordinator at Duke and Western Michigan. He spent one year in the SEC, serving as Mississippi's linebackers coach in 2003.

"He's a very smart guy, fun guy to be around," Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer said before the CFP title game. "He talks a lot more to us than he does you guys. If people think he's underrated, I'm blown away by that because I think he's proven himself time and time again, whether it's here or at
other schools, that he's one of the best defensive coordinators in the country."

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