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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Jim Knowles grew up in Philadelphia with an affinity for Penn State football. As a kid, he watched the Nittany Lions on the weekly sports highlight show, a staple of Sunday morning pre-church routines for him and his friends.
When Knowles hit the practice field — wanting to be the next guy to suit up at Linebacker-U — he did so under the guidance of coaches whose blue-collar backgrounds helped shape him. These coaches were firefighters, cops and maintenance workers. They came straight from work, their rolled-up pant legs a similar look to the style Joe Paterno made famous on the Penn State sideline.
Advertisement “I tell my kids all the time, I was a guttersnipe running around the streets of Philly,” Knowles said Tuesday when he was introduced as the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator. “Any relationship I had (with Penn State) was in my mind, a dream. .
.. I never even dreamt of going to a game.
We didn’t have that kind of money. ..
. State College could’ve been California.” What brings the most coveted defensive coordinator in college football to Happy Valley fresh off a national championship with Big Ten rival Ohio State, is a desire to elevate a Penn State program that’s fighting for small margins.
Knowles thanked Ryan Day and Ohio State’s players on Tuesday. He said he felt “supported” by Day and the Buckeyes’ administration. But, he also made it clear how much he wants to be here.
Penn State made it known how badly it wanted Knowles too, going all-in this offseason to make him the most highly compensated coordinator in college football. With an annual salary of $3.1 million per year, Knowles’ three-year contract was a signal to the rest of the sport just how serious the Nittany Lions are about winning a national title.
Knowles was seriously interested in hearing them out and helping them get there. “You reach a point in your career where you’re given opportunities based on past performance,” Knowles said. “I was never talented enough to make it to Penn State as a player, but given the opportunity to do it now as a coach, it’s really where I want to be to continue my career and bring any expertise that I can to the organization.
” GO DEEPER Penn State was already an early winner of the offseason. Hiring Jim Knowles proves it's all-in Knowles is 3 1/2 hours from home and at a place that tasted postseason success in 2024 by reaching the College Football Playoff semifinal. In some ways, the tranquility of this college town is worlds apart from the city Knowles grew up in.
But, exploring anything beyond the walls of his new office and the football building will be a rare occurrence for at least a little while. Advertisement In the coming weeks, Knowles will continue familiarizing himself with this roster. Just how much Penn State utilizes the “Jack” position — a staple of his defenses at every stop but Ohio State — will be sorted out.
He’ll need to make sure he’s not overloading players and coaches with too much information either. “This team is so close,” Knowles said. “I think I can help.
I think I can be of service. ..
. As you move forward in your career you really start thinking about how can I be of service? Where can I add to a great team and be a part of a great team? This is the place because everything here is so close to winning it all and I’m hopeful that I can help get it there.” "We're gonna be a defense people can rely on.
" Extended one-on-one interview with Defensive Coordinator @CoachJimKnowles 🎙️ #WeAre pic.twitter.com/bnOS5lxExu — Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 3, 2025 During three seasons in Columbus, Knowles took a defense that needed to be revamped and turned it into the best in the nation.
His Buckeyes’ defenses gave Penn State fits each of the last two seasons. The value he could bring to Andy Kotelnicki and the offense is important too. When Franklin reached out to Knowles this offseason, the head coach didn’t need to pitch how important it was to have strong defenses at Penn State.
Whether it was Brent Pry, Manny Diaz or Tom Allen, the Nittany Lions’ success on defense has been a big reason why they’ve been on the doorstep of playing for a national title. The emphasis Franklin puts on having an elite defense wasn’t lost on Knowles, who until arriving at Ohio State often needed to find ways to maximize what he had. Whether at Oklahoma State, Duke or Western Michigan, Knowles’ system made him one of the most highly-coveted coordinators in the sport.
Getting that system installed is going to take patience from coaches and players this offseason. Knowles said because of Penn State’s success on defense he’ll work to mesh these defenses and concepts as best they can. He’s doing this in part because he said he wants to be fair to the players, many of whom will be on their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons.
Advertisement Knowles credited Penn State’s assistant coaches for continuing to make this defense one of the best in the country, regardless of who the coordinator was. He’ll rely on their help to go through the “excruciating process” of figuring out how to mesh this defense. “I don’t want to come in and just say, ‘This is what I’m going to do.
’ It’s not going to be like that here,” Knowles said. “Coach Franklin has built a great defensive culture. They’ve had excellent defense here.
So I’m going to look at it step by step to see what we can retain, and then start to teach the guys and watch some of my past film. But we are definitely going to go through a process of meshing.” Knowles might be able to add some stability as a coordinator.
Pry and Diaz both left for head coaching jobs while Allen departed days after the Orange Bowl to join Clemson’s staff in the same role. Knowles, for now at least, sounds like he’s in for the long haul, whatever that might mean for the guy who won a national championship last month and will need to help Penn State beat that same team this fall. “I have one aspiration,” the 59-year-old Knowles said when asked if he wants to be a head coach.
“I’m at that point in my career where you focus solely on the job at hand. My aspiration is to help Penn State win the national championship and be the No. 1 defense in the country, and that’s really all I’m focused on.
That’s not just talk. That’s the truth. I don’t have any aspirations beyond that.
” (Photo: Audrey Snyder / The Athletic ).
