“I think he’s (Jim Knowles) the best defensive coordinator in the country. Does an unbelievable job, did an unbelievable job throughout the season.” Ryan Day echoed these words as Ohio State went into its national title victory parade with full pomp and show. After all, they had won the title after a decade, and Day had redeemed himself after consecutive failures at winning the trophy. But, Jim Knowles? Well, the man being the OSU DC turned their defense formidable as the OSU stood 1st in points allowed per game (12.9), yards per game (255), and red zone touchdown percent (42%). Still, the praise leveled by Ryan Day for his DC was probably hollow, as Jim Knowles was nowhere to be found at the parade. This was something that was not an accident, as the former Ohio State DC now opened up.

The DC has been at Ohio State since 2022 and signed a three-year contract worth $1.9 million per year. Knowles even knew that the OSU job wouldn’t be easy, as the fans demand the highest from coaches with their motto, ‘championship or bust’. He backed it up, too, with continued progress over the season as the Buckeyes finished 14th in total defense in 2022 after having finished 59th the previous year. Knowles was a defensive mastermind who came to Ohio State, and the team was hungry for a national title. The chemistry was undoubtedly perfect. But after the natty win, all of this changed.

After winning the national title, a contract extension was due for Knowles at Ohio State, and he was naturally expecting the program to hand it out. The contract came, but the money? Well, it wasn’t what Knowles was expecting. Still, the DC thought, “But, maybe I’ll take less because Ohio State’s a great place,” he said to ESPN. But after that, Knowles was asked, as he says, “not to go to the parade,“. This was something that put the final nail in the coffin, and from then on, rejoining Ohio State took a backseat for him as he describes the whole ordeal in quite detail to ESPN.

“But then they asked me not to come to the parade. So then you’re like, ‘OK, honestly, the writing is on the wall.’ Now it becomes something. It’s always something in the outside world, but now it’s become something here, too… I wouldn’t say I’m not wanted here — but you just feel like, OK, now it’s gotten awkward.”. The former Ohio State DC then pondered his options and finally landed with James Franklin’s Ohio State. The money?

Well, he signed a $9.3 million deal with Penn State that will span three years, making him the highest-paid DC in college football. However, according to various reports, money and the parade snub weren’t the only things affecting Jim Knowles’ decision. There was also speculation that Ryan Day became more involved in the defensive room after the Oregon loss last year and even asked for schematic changes. Knowles reportedly felt that his autonomy was being compromised, and along with the reports that he had some friction with the D-line coach, Larry Johnson. All of this combined led the former Ohio State DC to Penn State in a sensational move.

Jim Knowles opens up about the Penn State challenge

Knowles comes to Penn State with a wealth of experience, along with his defensive brilliance. Penn State’s defense last year wasn’t bad, as they stood 5th in total defense nationally (295.1 yards per game) and 8th in rushing defense (102.2 yards per game). However, their DC Tom Allen departed for Clemson for the same job, which left an urgent need for someone to continue and even improve on Allen’s work. Jim Knowles seems to be the answer to that.

“They’ve consistently been very good. I’m able to blend more concepts than just throw everything out and start over. I’ve been really mindful of that process. If I can create things that are similar to what they’ve done here, that’s what I’ve done — tried to err on the side of similar terminology. When you come into a defense that’s been pretty good, there’s a culture here. And I feel like Coach Franklin has built that”. Knowles said about Penn State’s defense.

Penn State will open its season with 4 home games, but the game against Oregon will show what the new Penn State DC has got. The game will also be thought because Oregon is now basking in Nike Founder Phil Knight’s financial backing, and the team is also coming after an undefeated season. The record of James Franklin also doesn’t help against teams like Oregon, since the head coach is 4-18 against Ohio State, Oregon, and Michigan combined in his tenure at Penn State. But now with Jim Knowles at the helm, well, fortunes may well finally change, right?