Jim Knowles, who just wrapped up a national championship season with the Buckeyes after his defense led the country in both total and scoring defense, became college football’s highest-paid coordinator, shaking up the sport. For Penn State fans, though, it’s a twist of fate: the man who spent three years planning against them is now running their defense. He’s a silent figure on the practice field, content to stand back and observe as his players dictate the tempo, a sharp contrast to the up-tempo approach of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

But Knowles brings more than just tactical expertise. He emphasized communication, flexibility, and ensuring that all players can “think like a coordinator.” That mentality, he said, will pay dividends when the Nittany Lions play their greatest foes. And there is no greater game on the horizon than the annual bout with Ohio State, a rivalry now personal to Knowles, with his recent experience on both sides of the turf. As the season approaches, the spotlight is on Knowles and his defense to deliver against the Buckeyes.

In a recent interview, on the 12th of June, on Locked on Nittany Lions, Jim Knowles spoke candidly about the rivalry between Penn State and OSU. “It unfolds because uh Coach Franklin’s really detailed and Andy wants it, Andy wants to learn, I want to learn, you know it unfolds because it’s a very collaborative staff you know and no one is trying to defend their terms, so there’s a lot of free flowing of information,” he says. Knowles doesn’t avoid looking at the past, even referencing an “honest review” of the 2024 Penn State–Ohio State game.

In the second half, the two teams exchanged field goals, but Ohio State’s defense shut the door. Penn State needed a stop with five minutes remaining to keep hopes alive, but Howard’s third-down clutch seven-yard run sealed the game, allowing the Buckeyes to run out the clock and win by 20-13. So, Knowles’ remark, “everybody wants to win at the highest level so we’re all looking for that edge and that information and uh we’re not afraid of uh offending our ego.” And then there is Drew Allar. The health of the young quarterback has been a theme among Penn State fans this spring, particularly with the upcoming Ohio State game.

“With Drew being where he was at the time didn’t know what to expect you know how much of it were you going to get and then if he did get it you know how much was Drew going to run coming off an injury so there were a lot of things up in the air,” Knowles said. Allar threw for 146 yards and ran for 31 more. Allar went down with a lower-body injury—a later disclosed knee issue—after being sacked; he hobbled off the field, vanished in the locker room, and the entire Penn State bench waited with bated breath.

Fast forward to Ohio State week, where the question on everyone’s mind was: would Allar be ready? The coaching staff kept it close to their chest, making it a game-time decision whether he’d play. Allar, on the other hand, dived headlong into rehab, working as hard as he possibly could to return to the field in time. Today, the stage is set for an interesting season with the Ohio State rivalry hanging over them, and the team’s resilience will again be pushed to the limit.

The buzz in Columbus after Jim Knowles’ grand exit

When Jim Knowles loaded up his playbook and set off east to State College, it was a seismic change in the Big Ten, particularly for Ohio State fans who had become accustomed to his defenses shutting down just about everybody. The question on everyone’s mind in Columbus: Who’s going to fill those shoes? The hunt for a new defensive coordinator turned into one of the most popular talking points in college football. With Knowles now game-planning against them, Ohio State needed to nail this pick—and pronto.

Ryan Day and the athletic department were keeping their cards close to their chest. The situation was high stakes—after all, Knowles’ defenses had been the cornerstone of Ohio State’s recent success, and the room for error in the Big Ten is razor thin. The coaching staff recognized that they needed to keep the transfer portal at bay, the locker room stable, and ensure that the new coordinator was able to relate to the players and the culture. At last, the Buckeyes acted on this information, purportedly deciding to name Matt Patricia their next defensive coordinator. Patricia possessed NFL experience and the reputation of constructing resilient, versatile defenses.

But the ultimate test would be how well he blended with the current staff and if he could maintain Ohio State’s defense at an elite level. Fans and pundits closely observed—would Patricia’s game plans be just as productive as Knowles’? Could he keep the Buckeyes in the playoff picture? Ultimately, Ohio State’s message rang out loud and clear: the program is greater than a single coach. Knowles might have been the mastermind behind a record defense, but the Buckeyes felt certain they could reload and stay in contention.