Ryan Day shares why Jim Knowles was right fit at Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day were able to grab one of the hottest defensive coordinators on the market in Oklahoma State’s Jim Knowles this offseason. The Bryant Award finalist will be replacing Kerry Coombs after four seasons at Oklahoma State.

During his National Signing Day press conference, Ryan Day addressed the lengthy conversations he had with Jim Knowles over the weeks leading up to the hire and what set him apart as a candidate.

“There was a lot of conversation,” said Day. “I think he would probably say to you – by the end, I asked to do a couple more FaceTimes and a couple more Zooms – and he probably was wondering, ‘what else does he want to see.’ But I did, I wanted to do that because I know how important this hire was.

“At the end of the day, I was really looking for a head coach of the defense. And certainly, his background and all the people that have worked for him, and with him, have said such unbelievable things. You watch the film of the way his team plays, they play hard, they have a system, they have answers and they’ve done a great job developing. … It seemed like the best fit. And at the end of the day, we had some certain things that we had some common ground on.”

Since he took over in 2018, the Cowboys’ defenses have steadily improved under Knowles. During his first season in charge, they gave up an average of 32.5 points per game. This season, Knowles’ unit also has the best scoring defense in the Big 12 at 16.8 points per game and nearly got them a conference championship.

Ohio State coaching staff

Jim Knowles is a Cornell graduate who has made stops at his alma mater, Duke, Ole Miss, Western Michigan, and most recently Oklahoma State. His years of experience and respect from across the country played a key role in Ryan Day’s decision to hand him the keys to the Ohio State defense.

After discussing the factors which led Knowles to become the defensive coordinator, Day further explained the perfect structure of his staff.

“When we finished the conversation – I’m gonna run the offense and when this thing’s running well, there’s a head coach of the defense, there’s a head coach of recruiting, there’s a head coach of the special teams – and then I’m heavily involved with the offense,” said Day. “If those things aren’t happening, now it takes away from the offense and the way that this structure is built isn’t being optimized.”