Tennessee Hires Penn State Dc Jim Knowles For Same Role

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 12, 2026, 9:27 AM

tennessee hires penn state dc jim knowles for same role

After one season at Penn State, Jim Knowles is now the defensive coordinator at Tennessee. (Luke Hales / Getty Images) Tennessee announced Thursday that former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has been hired for the same role. Knowles was the defensive coordinator for last year’s Ohio State national championship team. He spent three years with the Buckeyes before joining James Franklin at Penn State. Franklin was fired midway through the season, and Penn State this week hired Matt Campbell from Iowa State as its new head coach.

Knowles signed a three-year deal with Tennessee that will keep him among the country’s highest-paid coordinators. The deal calls for him to make $2 million in 2026, $2.2 in 2027 and $2.4 in 2028. 📰 » https://t.co/ta5ehTH2fI#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/AOTI5PO3lh Tennessee has made a splash hire for its new defensive coordinator. The Volunteers announced the hiring of former Penn State and Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles on Thursday. Knowles is regarded as one of the top defensive minds in the sport and helped lead the Buckeyes to a national title in 2024.

He was hired at Penn State this past offseason in a blockbuster poach, but after a doomed season in Happy Valley that saw head coach James Franklin fired, Knowles — who was also previously... "Hiring Jim Knowles was our top priority from the start of this process," coach Josh Heupel said in a release. "Jim has a proven track record of developing elite defenses that play with an edge, and we got to see that first-hand during the 2024 College Football Playoff. His defenses are always physical, well prepared and can adapt quickly in-game against today's complex offenses. He's a competitor, a winner and someone who will get the most out of our players in practice and on gameday. We are thrilled to welcome Jim to Rocky Top as he helps us chase championships."

Knowles replaces previous defensive coordinator Tim Banks, who helmed one of the SEC's top defenses in 2024 before overseeing a significant backslide on that side of the ball this season as the Volunteers finished... One season after leaving his defensive coordinator position at Ohio State for the same role at Penn State, Tennessee has hired Knowles to be its new DC. Welcome to Rocky Top, @CoachJimKnowles!https://t.co/ta5ehTH2fI#GBO pic.twitter.com/AOTI5PO3lh Per ESPN, Knowles will be paid $2 million in 2026, $2.2 million in 2027 and $2.4 million in 2028. By comparison, Knowles was paid $2.2 million in his final season as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2024 and signed a deal worth an average of $3.1 million per year to be Penn State’s... Tennessee makes this official.

They will be paying him $2.0 million in 2026, $2.2 in 2027 and $2.4 million in 2028. (He also expected to get a buyout, which was being negotiated from the $7 million Penn State owed him on his deal.) https://t.co/2bUE1A9kfm Two staff overhauls from both programs involved prompted the move. The Nittany Lions are hiring a new head coach in Iowa State's Matt Campbell, while the Volunteers are overhauling their defensive staff after firing defensive coordinator Tim Banks. Jim Knowles is set for an SEC comeback next season. Tennessee is arranging a deal to acquire him as defensive coordinator.

The aim is to improve its defense and make the college football playoffs. The development brings enormous expectations to Knoxville. The Volunteers are coming off an 8-4 season, including a 4-4 SEC record. The defense was spotty under Tim Banks, who was fired after the 2025 season. Signing Knowles was imperative for coach Josh Heupel in his bid to return to the CFP. Imagine a defensive coordinator with nearly four decades of experience guiding powerhouse programs like Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Duke, and Ole Miss.

Jim Knowles isn’t just experienced; in the 2023-2024 season, he helped the Buckeyes claim the 2024 national title, setting the standard in yards allowed (254.6 yards per game), scoring defense (12.9 points per game),... During his national title-winning stint at Ohio State, the Philadelphia native, who employs a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, faced Tennessee in the first round of the 2024 CFP. Under Knowles’ guidance, the Buckeyes limited the Volunteers to 256 yards of offense, including only 104 passing yards, on their way to a 42-17 win. Knowles’ path to Ohio State was paved by his achievements at Oklahoma State, where he was hired for the 2018 season and quickly elevated the defense. By 2021, the Cowboys ranked fourth overall, allowing 297.9 yards per game, and fifth in run defense, allowing 87.6 yards per game. These improvements prompted Ohio State to extend an offer to him in 2021.

According to On3’s Chris Low, the Tennessee Volunteers are expected to hire Jim Knowles to be the program’s next defensive coordinator. Knowles spent this past season in Happy Valley with Penn State, still working through a buyout process before hitting the open market. But when he does, Knoxville is thought to be the landing spot. Tennessee recently made the decision to fire Tim Banks, leaving the DC spot open. Knowles checks a couple of boxes on Rocky Top, especially the one where a big splash was needed. Head coach Josh Heupel is looking to get his team back in the College Football Playoff conversation and Knowles certainly has experience there.

Last season saw Tennessee rank in the bottom three of scoring and total yards allowed. While they did not finish dead last in any major category, there are not many positives looking at the stat sheet. Only Vanderbilt gave up more yards through the air, while the Vols finished 12th in run defense. From a scoring perspective, teams put up nearly 29 points per game on them at 28.8. The number slightly increases to 29.5 when only taking power conference performances into account, getting saved by a nice performance against Florida. Knowles will come in with big expectations in front of him.

An offseason of working the NCAA transfer portal should help, hoping to improve in a big way.

Tennessee Hires Penn State Dc Jim Knowles For Same Role

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