Considering what Georgia has up its sleeves entering the 2026 season, there’s little reason to doubt that Year 12 under Kirby Smart will be under duress. However, there is a new player in the SEC who can spoil the party for the veteran head coach. Georgia will have to approach rivals Tennessee with some caution now, thanks to the latter’s addition of an equally distinguished coach.

“Jim Knowles, who won a championship at Ohio State two years ago, went to Penn State, and now is in Tennessee,” former Georgia LB David Pollack pointed out in his Thursday appearance on See Ball Get Ball. “Three stops in three years; that’s kind of crazy for a guy that is beloved and talked about as one of the better defensive coaches in college football.”

Tennessee hiring Jim Knowles is easily one of the best hires that transpired in the wild coaching carousel last year. Pollack highlighted how bad the Vols’ defense was last year, which stood 91st in points allowed. The Vols lacked an identity on this side of the ball. The defensive line struggled, the linebackers were often in incorrect positions, and the secondary was brought down with injuries. It allowed Vanderbilt to wreak havoc on a Tennessee team that still had hope to make the playoffs in 2025. Knowles, having built some of college football’s strongest defenses in the past, can definitely help raise the defensive floor from this level.

When a person of his calibre was available in the market, Tennessee didn’t hesitate to cut ties with Tim Banks. He was Tennessee’s longest-serving DC after John Chavis and was one of the reasons why the Vols were able to make the 2024 playoffs. In fact, Banks was a finalist for the Broyles Award. But after the massive letdown of a performance in 2025, Josh Heupel had to make the tough decision of firing him. Pollack added that Tennessee split with Banks like a “bad habit.”

Knowles’s genius at Ohio State created the country’s No. 1 defense in 2024. Tennessee is getting National Championship experience in him, exactly what the program needs to create some momentum now. Knowles also transformed a D-line ranked 112th in 2018 to 4th nationally by 2021 at Oklahoma State. While he was with the Cowboys, he helped the team reach the Big 12 Championship Game twice. If not the playoffs, the SEC Championship can be a goal that Tennessee achieves this year. That would become a problem for Georgia, which is practically a regular fixture for the game.

That becomes a major threat for the Bulldogs. The SEC’s move to a nine-game conference schedule has forced the Tennessee-Georgia game to be played on a rotational basis. Although Kirby Smart’s program leads this rivalry with a 30–23–2 record and they even beat the Vols 44–41 last season, Knowles’s arrival now puts the Bulldogs in a worrying situation. Though the Vols will not be a regular opponent for Georgia, as long as the DC is at Knoxville, he will give Smart a tough fight. A rivalry win always carries weight when the playoff bracket is decided, which means this matchup will be key for both teams.

To fight Jim Knowles in 2027, Kirby Smart should have a strong offense

Kirby Smart was always the bigger competitor in the last seven times he faced Tennessee, enjoying a winning streak till now. But now, he has to get past Jim Knowles and his defense. And, as has been proven, it will not be easy. In 2027, the situation will be far more different from how things stand now.

For starters, quarterback Gunner Stockton is not a guaranteed fixture. He can declare for the draft after 2026, and backup QB Ryan Puglisi will also exhaust his eligibility by then. That will leave Smart to rely on his five-star phenom, Jared Curtis. 2027 will be his first big year in college football, and taking on Jim Knowles’ defense will not be easy for him.

Around him, the pass catchers may have some old and new faces as Georgia has already lost six top receivers from the 2025 team. If blue-chip talents Talyn Taylor, CJ Taylor, and Thomas Blackshear stay on for the 2027 season, there should be some hope. And, if RB Nate Frazier remains in Georgia for 2027, Smart should expect the run game to have some strength.

Pollack is one of only two players in Georgia history to earn three-time first-team All-American honors and is the 2004 Lombardi Award winner; he is a great judge of who could be the Dawgs’ biggest problems. So if Knowles is seen as a potential threat by him, there is some weight in that thought. Kirby Smart clearly has a massive challenge on his hands.