Former Ohio State defensive coordinator said in an address to Penn State players that the Nittany Lions were 'everything' to him growing up

Already boasting the largest salary among college football assistants, Knowles' contract allows him to hit astronomical numbers

Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is in high demand after helping Ohio State win this year's national title. According to FootballScoop, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Notre Dame are all trying to poach Knowles from Ohio State.

Penn State has lured Tom Knowles away from Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have hired Knowles to serve as their defensive coordinator.

However, Knowles wasn’t in attendance. About an hour later, reports surfaced that Knowles is leaving Ohio State to serve as Penn State’s next defensive coordinator. The move leaves Day searching for a replacement. Here’s who he might consider as he enters his seventh season as the Buckeyes' head coach.

Guerrieri represents the continuity option. He's a Knowles guy through and through, initially coming with him to Ohio State as a senior analyst back in 2022. After a year apart at Indiana in 2023, Knowles missed him so much that he convinced Day to bring him back to Columbus, where he spent this past season as safeties coach.

Penn State football entered rarified air by stealing Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from the defending national champions.

Jim Knowles is expected to take the same position at Penn State, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. The two sides are finalizing a three-year deal reportedly worth $3.1 million per season, making him the first college football coordinator to earn an annual salary of at least $3 million.

However, despite his many detours, Knowles is at his heart a Pennsylvanian—a Philadelphian to be exact. Addressing Penn State in a video released by the school Tuesday morning, Knowles recalled growing up a fan of the Nittany Lions in the Keystone State.

Ohio State Buckeyes snagged the championship title in Atlanta on January 20th with a decisive victory. The post Stance on James Franklin Takes Turn as $10M Splash to Sabotage Ryan Day Puts Penn State in Unexpected Territory appeared first on EssentiallySports.

It appears that Knowles didn't take long to shuck his scarlet red colors and put on the blue and white at Penn State, taking aim at the conference leaders. It's a huge get for Penn State, who already had one of the most productive defenses in the nation last year, and now adds arguably the top defensive coordinator in the sport to the mix in 2025.