Jim Knowles reveals where Ohio State defense needs to improve entering summer

Spring ball is now wrapped, and the Ohio State Buckeyes are set to enter the summer months of the offseason. With just a couple of months remaining before the regular season gets underway, new Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles explained his goals for the next period for the Buckeyes.

Knowles has been impressed with what he’s seen from Ohio State as a whole thus far. Now, he wants to see the Buckeyes continue on the track that they’ve been on.

“I really have just been impressed with our whole process, from Coach Day to Coach Mick,” Knowles said. “We just need to stay the course. Those guys know what they’re doing in terms of how to structure this time of year. Stay the course in that aspect.”

Defensively, Knowles is trying to take advantage of as much time as he possibly can. There is a schedule that the team must follow, but Knowles isn’t trying to waste any time when continuing his installation of his defense at Ohio State during the summer.

“From a defensive perspective, we need to just continue to meet whenever we have the chance individually and groups when we’re allowed,” said Knowles. “The schedule dictates all that, but we’ll take advantage of every opportunity we have just to have short meetings again to keep things fresh in their mind and maybe grow in some areas that we weren’t able to touch in the spring.”

Knowles doesn’t want Ohio State’s defense to feel pressure

Knowles takes over as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator after joining the Buckeyes this offseason from Oklahoma State. He knows the pressure Ohio State faces when it comes to competing for national championships, but when it comes to his defense, Knowles really emphasizes getting better each and every day.

“First of all, I don’t think the players feel any pressure because they believe and they’re confident,” said Knowles. “They’ve seen how the whole system works and the quality of our program. The challenge for us is just to be the best we can be, that’s all. If we’re the best we can be, we’ll be fine. So we just have to get better every day. That’s what I keep [telling them], I say ‘get better’ they say ‘every day.’ It’s one of our sayings, they say it back to me. That’s all we have to worry about, so I don’t think anybody’s feeling pressure, just excitement.”