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Penn State Football Officially Hires Jim Knowles As Next Defensive Coordinator

Money talks.

Penn State football has officially hired Jim Knowles as its next defensive coordinator, the program announced Sunday. Knowles comes to Happy Valley after spending three seasons with Ohio State as its defensive coordinator.

According to FootballScoop, Penn State offered Knowles, 59, a package totaling $3.2 million a year, countering Oklahoma’s offer of $3 million a year and living closer to his fiancée. Knowles’ hiring, a lateral move from Columbus, came after Penn State lost its defensive coordinator Tom Allen in another lateral move to Clemson.

“I am excited for this opportunity to join Penn State Football,” Knowles said in a statement. “I would like to thank Coach Franklin, Pat Kraft, and President Neeli Bendapudi for this opportunity to be the defensive coordinator at Penn State. I have always had a ton of respect for Coach Franklin and the program he has built here. I look forward to working with this tremendous staff and group of student-athletes and am ready to get to work.”

“Join me in welcoming Jim Knowles back to his home in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Defensive Coordinator of Penn State Football,” Franklin said. “He’s a strong strategist and excellent defensive mind. He reflects the core values our culture of excellence is built upon. We look forward to having Jim and his family join us in Happy Valley.”

As Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, Knowles improved the Buckeyes from the No. 59-ranked total defense to the No. 14 defense in 2022. In the program’s national championship campaign, the Buckeyes finished with the best total defense in college football.

Knowles spent four seasons as Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator before Ohio State, leading the Cowboys to program-record statistics. They finished in the top five in sacks, tackles for loss, third-down defense, total defense, and rushing defense, which also led the Big 12, during the 2021 season.

Knowles’ coaching career began in 1988 when he took a gig at his alma mater as Cornell’s defensive line coach. He coached at Cornell until 1996, also working with running backs and linebackers. He then served as defensive line coach and defensive coordinator at Western Michigan, linebackers coach at Ole Miss, head coach at Cornell, defensive coordinator at Duke, defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, and, finally, defensive coordinator at Ohio State.

Poindexter will be the Nittany Lions’ fourth defensive coordinator in five seasons. Brent Pry left to be Virginia Tech’s head coach in 2021, Manny Diaz left to become Duke’s head coach in 2023, and Allen left to become Clemson’s defensive coordinator in 2025.

Knowles takes over what was the nation’s No. 7 total defense in 2024. The Nittany Lions brought back Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zane Durant, Tony Rojas, and Zakee Wheatley to a unit that can prove itself as one of college football’s finest in 2025..

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About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe is a senior journalism major at Penn State and Onward State's managing editor. He writes about everything Penn State and is single-handedly responsible for the 2017 Rose Bowl. If you see him at Cafe 210, please buy him a Miami pitcher. For dumb stuff, follow him on Twitter (iamjoelister). For serious stuff, email him ([email protected]). To tell him your deepest secrets, find him on Signal (iamjoelister.93).

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