Report: Jim Knowles likely to leave Ohio State, accept job as Penn State defensive coordinator

The Ohio State Buckeyes are riding high off a national championship season in which the defense was phenomenal throughout the year. Now, it appears that the defense is about to be shaken up. According to a report by Toby Rowland the voice of the Oklahoma Sooners, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is set to leave Ohio State for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Ross Dellenger later confirmed the expectation of Knowles leaving for Happy Valley.

Rowland shared that Penn State would be prepared to pay Knowles well over $3 million to make him the highest-paid coordinator in college football history. Knowles has, apparently, even already told Penn State head coach James Franklin he is on his way to Happy Valley.

“Reliable sources confirm that barring last second change of heart, Jim Knowles is headed to Penn State,” Rowland wrote. “He has notified James Franklin that he’ll accept their offer of well over $3 million to be highest paid coordinator in college football history. Knowles is from Philly.”

Penn State has been looking for its third defensive coordinator in as many seasons. Previously, Manny Diaz left to become the head coach at Duke while Tom Allen left to become the defensive coordinator at Clemson.

Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork was asked about Jim Knowles and the status of his contract earlier in the day on Sunday, January 26th. At that time, he said, “Today is a day to celebrate but these things have a way of working themselves out.”

Jim Knowles is a native of Philadelphia who attended Cornell where he played on the football team. He then got into coaching in 1988 with Cornell. He would work his way up as a defensive assistant, including at Ole Miss, before becoming the head coach at his alma mater in 2004, holding the job through 2009. Since then, he’s had stops at Duke, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State as one of the best defensive coordinators in the sport.

In 2024, under Knowles, the Ohio State defense ranked first in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 12.9 points per game. They were also first in total defense, allowing 254.6 yards per game. The Penn State defense were no slouches in 2024. The Nittany Lions were eighth in scoring defense, giving up just 16.5 points per game. In terms of total defense, Penn State was seventh, giving up 294.8 yards per game.

Ohio State and Penn State were two of the four Big Ten teams to make it to the College Football Playoff this past season. They’re also the two Big Ten teams to make the deepest runs, with the Nittany Lions making it all the way to the semifinals while the Buckeyes won the national championship. Both teams are expected to be competitive again in 2025.