Penn State has a new defensive coordinator. He’ll make more than any other in college football
Penn State officially hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles Monday — and he’ll make more than any other defensive coordinator in college football.
During a special meeting of the Penn State board of trustees’ committee on equity and human resources — which was about one minutes, 30 seconds long — the committee unanimously approved the proposed terms of employment for Penn State’s football defensive coordinator. The committee did not publicly discuss the candidate or contract terms; Matt Schuyler, committee chair, said they discussed it during executive session prior to the public meeting.
“Press release will be forthcoming from intercollegiate athletics regarding this hire,” Schuyler said.
In that release, Penn State head football coach James Franklin called Knowles “a strong strategist and excellent defensive mind.”
“He reflects the core values our culture of excellence is built upon,” Franklin said. “We look forward to having Jim and his family join us in Happy Valley.”
Knowles joins the Nittany Lions on a three-year deal that will pay him $3 million in his first year, $3.1 million in his second year and $3.2 million in his third year, according to a source with knowledge of the contract.
LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker was the highest paid coordinator in 2024, according to USA Today, with a total pay of $2.5 million. Knowles previously made $2.2 million at Ohio State, according to the same list.
The new Penn State defensive coordinator joined the staff a week after winning the national championship as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator — doing so with the best defense in the country. He led the Buckeye defense to being No. 1 in ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency, and helped the group only give up 18.8 points per game in the College Football Playoff.
Knowles was an ideal target because of his experience, scheme and local ties. He runs a 4-2-5 defense, something Penn State has used extensively in the Franklin era, and has also been a Franklin target before. His name popped up when the head coach ultimately hired Manny Diaz and Knowles left Oklahoma State for Ohio State in 2021.
“I am excited for this opportunity to join Penn State football,” Knowles said in the press release. “I would like to thank Coach Franklin, Pat Kraft and President Neeli Bendapudi for this opportunity to be the defensive coordinator at Penn State. I have always had a ton of respect for Coach Franklin and the program he has built here. I look forward to working with this tremendous staff and group of student-athletes and am ready to get to work.”
The new PSU defensive coordinator is 59 years old and is originally from Philadelphia, where he went to St. Joseph’s Prep for high school. Prior to his time at Oklahoma State he was the defensive coordinator at Duke from 2010-2017 and the head coach at Cornell, his alma mater, from 2004-2009.
He had one prior stint as the defensive coordinator prior to that time, leading the Western Michigan defense in 2001 and 2002.
Knowles will replace former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who left to become Clemson’s defensive coordinator earlier in January. Allen’s contract started at $1.5 million at Penn State in 2024, and his Clemson contract will begin at $1.9 million.
