Penn State refutes reported offensive staff hire

An earlier report stating Penn State is being expected to hire former Temple running backs coach Tyree Foreman as an assistant from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports/247Sports has been deleted, and the hiring refuted.

Zenitz shared the news to X on Wednesday, but he’s since removed the post from social media. In the time since, Penn State sources told BWI’s Sean Fitz that there’s no deal between Foreman and the Nittany Lions.

“Scratch that on the new RB hire,” Fitz posted to the Blue White Illustrated message boards, regarding the report.

Even with the confusing surrounding Foreman, Penn State is still building one of the stronger coaching staffs in the entire nation. They made a major move earlier this offseason, when the Nittany Lions were able to hire Jim Knowles, bringing him from Ohio State to Happy Valley.

The defensive coordinator spent three years with the Buckeyes, and this past one was the best of the bunch, with Ohio State having stood tall at the end of the College Football Playoff. However, once the Nittany Lions came calling, the Philadelphia native knew he wanted to return to his home state of Pennsylvania. 

Moreover, Knowles has been a defensive coordinator at the power level for the past decade and a half, with stops at Duke, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State, and it’s not difficult to see why he’s had immense success each time. Those 14 units have allowed 24 points, which averaged better than a Top-50 finish nationally, and 374.1 yards a game. 

Additionally, Knowles’ resume includes seven defenses that improved in every season through four years in Stillwater (25.2 points, 385.6 yards) and three in Columbus (15 points, 280.5 yards) with each of his last four finishing in the Top-25 and three of those four finishing in the Top-10.

Looking ahead, Knowles will call a defense that has been one of the more successful units in recent seasons. The Nittany Lions have had a Top-10 defense each of the past four years in allowing 16.4 points and 304.7 yards.

Alas, Jim Knowles is home in Pennsylvania, and ready to continue his successful coaching career with the Nittany Lions. Penn State’s staff is coming together, and after coming close to making their championship dreams come true last season, with their new defensive coordinator at the helm, they feel closer than ever to the top.