Jim Knowles Officially Set to Become Next Tennessee Football Defensive Coordinator

Jim Knowles is officially set to become the next Tennessee Volunteers defensive coordinator.

It was all smiles for Ohio State football defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as he spoke with the media Tuesday, January 14, 2025 in the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility. | Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have recently made some moves, including a move that was made announcing that the Vols would be without Tim Banks and will be moving on from him. He won't be coaching in the bowl game (as you can expect from a firing), which led to William Inge being announced as the Tennessee Vols defensive coordinator (interim) just for the bowl game.

That bowl game will be played on December 30th, when the Vols take on the Illinois Fighting Illini inside the Tennessee state lines, as they will be playing in the Tennessee Titans' home stadium.

Tennessee Adds Jim Knowles as Their DC

Mar 7, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles motions to players during spring football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After that, the Vols will turn their focus to the 2026 class. This is when things will be interesting as the real defensive coordinator will officially be in play. The Vols have made it official on who they are now, making their next defensive coordinator, and many would refer to this hire as a "big splash". The guy the Vols are officially bringing in as their new defensive coordinator is Jim Knowles.

Knowles is a guy whose resume runs deeper than almost anyone's, and is a guy that the Tennessee program could use to get better almost immediately. While the play-calling wasn't the only issue, having a guy like Knowles, who is a true pro, will only make this team better, it seems.

Knowles has spent time at many different places. This includes being with the Ohio State Buckeyes for three seasons. He is the national championship-winning defensive coordinator with the Buckeyes, and is a guy who put the Buckeyes in the best position to win. He was the DC that coached against the Tennessee Vols in the playoffs, and the Vols struggled big time.

Knowles left Ohio State after three seasons and was with the Penn State Nittany Lions this season. Sure, things didn't go how you would like them if you were Knowles, but it also wasn't the worst thing to mention. There were some bright spots with Knowles, but this remains to be seen how it will carry over to Knoxville.

Tennessee will play a tough SEC schedule and have some non-conference games that will be highlighted, such as their game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on the road. The Vols will need to be at their best on the defensive side of the football, and that will be something that will be highlighted throughout the next season.

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