Penn State football adds two new analysts, and both have ties to Jim Knowles
Penn State football has added two new analysts to James Franklin’s support staff. Both have ties to new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Shane Eachus is joining the Nittany Lions after spending the last two seasons as a defensive backs coach at Georgetown. He worked with Knowles at Oklahoma State. An Aston, Pa., native, Eachus played at Ursinus and started his coaching career at James Madison. The other new Nittany Lions analyst is Brent Zdebski. He most recently was a quality control assistant under Knowles at Ohio State. He also worked under Knowles with the Cowboys. BWI’s Sean Fitz previously reported that Zdebski was a likely candidate to join the Lions. It is now official that he will do so.
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More on the new Penn State analysts
Eachus was a captain during his playing days at Ursinus.
“Eachus joined the Hoyas in 2023 after one year on the coaching staff at Houston Christian University where he served as a defensive coordinator and safeties coach,” his Georgetown bio reads. “He helped the Huskies to become ranked third nationally in defensive touchdowns, ninth in takeaways, 19th in total sacks and 25th in total tackles for loss.
“In 2023, the Hoyas led the Patriot League in interceptions with 10, including one interception returned for a touchdown. Eaches also helped coach Rashon Adamas Jr. and Jaden Dugger to earn a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team.”
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Zdebeski has worked all over, but, most recently, all of his work has been under Knowles. That makes him a perfectly logical addition, of course, to the Penn State staff.
“Zdebski comes to Ohio State after spending the 2021 season at Oklahoma State with Jim Knowles,” his OSU bio reads. “He assisted coaching the safeties, which included first-team All-Big XII and All-American Kolby Harvell-Peel. Prior to Oklahoma State, Zdebski spent three season (2018-2020) in the Big Ten at the University of Wisconsin. There, he was a defensive graduate assistant and assisted coaching outside linebackers.
“He held a similar role at Central Michigan in 2017 and Eastern Michigan for the 2016 season. Zdebski spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as an offensive student assistant at UMass, where he supported members of the coaching staff who worked with the team’s quarterbacks and wide receivers.”
