Penn State DC Jim Knowles in introductory press conference: ‘So close to winning it all’
It’s not often that a coordinator wins a national title, after leading the best unit in the country on his side of the ball, then leaves for the same position at a conference rival.
Naturally, there were questions about why new Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles did that when he left Ohio State to join the Nittany Lions in January.
Tuesday afternoon at his introductory press conference in Pegula Ice Arena, he had his chance to answer them.
“You reach a point in your career where you’re given opportunities based on past performance,” Knowles said. “Penn State, for me growing up in inner city Philly, was the epitome of college football when I was a kid. 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 I can to the organization.”
Knowles will have the chance to bring his expertise to the Nittany Lions and help them achieve what he did with the Buckeyes — winning a national championship.
It helps, too, that when Knowles was making a decision, he had a direct line to his boss throughout the process. Penn State head coach James Franklin made his pitch to him, but it was the culture in place that drew Knowles. Despite being a former offensive coordinator, Franklin has had elite defenses throughout his tenure with the Nittany Lions, and his newest coordinator took note of that.
“He has built a culture here that has really emphasized defense,” Knowles said. “They’ve had really good defense here. They’ve been through some different coordinators, but they have always had good defense. ... (Franklin) has made it conducive to be successful on defense. You can talk about that, but the proof is in the numbers.”
That consistency is a testament to Franklin’s ability to hire and retain assistants — not just coordinators, but position coaches too. Often when a new coordinator will take over, the entire staff can be in flux. Assistants can come and go, sometimes leaving with the former coordinator and sometimes being replaced by the new guy.
But all of the Nitttany Lions’ assistants are Franklin’s guys, as in, their loyalty lies to him and the program rather than any particular coordinator.
That’s allowed him to retain them despite turnover at the top. And while that may not seem like it matters, it will allow Knowles to make a smoother transition and implement his defense quicker.
“That makes my life a lot easier,” Knowles said. “(They are) veteran coaches who have been successful. But are also really low-ego guys. I’ve talked to all of them and it comes through.”
The quicker the better when it comes to implementation, but Knowles won’t rush the process. He said he’ll only move at the players’ pace, making sure they understand their roles and responsibilities before moving on to the next piece of the defense.
That is crucial for Knowles, who is known as one of — if not the — most creative coordinators in the country. That can make for a long, arduous process when trying to teach what he wants to his players. But this will not be a full implementation of what he does, according to Knowles.
Because Penn State has had so much success, there will be a level of blending between what Knowles does and what the Nittany Lions do.
“I’m going to do it differently here than I’ve probably done it anywhere,” Knowles said. “We’re now looking at the things that were done here in the past. I’m learning that, because there has been success. 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. ...
“I’m going to look at it step by step to see what we can retain and then start to teach the guys, ‘Hey this is how I did this and that,’ and watch some of my past film. But we are definitely going to go through a process of meshing the two of them.”
His willingness to change and adjust is part of what has elevated Knowles to being one of the best coordinators in the country. He’s been able to adapt to different conferences — coaching defense in the Big 12, the ACC and the Big Ten — and found success at the highest levels.
That applies to all parts of coaching, even where he calls a game from. Knowles has coached from both the sideline and the press box in his time as a coordinator, but has most recently done so from the latter.
He cited his ability to maximize his play-calling and impact on the game as the reason he’s a fan of that viewpoint, where he said he’ll be for games in Happy Valley.
“That allows me to get the best vision on the action,” Knowles said. “And with the iPads now and the communication directly with the players in the helmet, I can still be very connected. There’s a lot more time to think up there. I’ve worked hard on being emotional and challenging in practice and coaching with an edge in practice. But in a game, that’s not my job. The best place to be in order to think and remain calm and try to stay a couple plays ahead and a series ahead, is in the press box.”
That was a point of interest for former defensive coordinator Tom Allen, whom Knowles is replacing after he left Penn State for Clemson. Allen had coached from the field, and preferred doing so to be a part of the game and feel the atmosphere around him. But with the Nittany Lions, he made the move to the press box early in the season and the unit took off — even if Allen missed some of the emotional aspects of being on the field.
It does not seem that will be an issue with Knowles. Instead he will replace Allen in the booth and make those decisions with a full menu of information at his disposal.
That is the crux of why Knowles ultimately decided on the Nittany Lions. Yes, he’s from Pennsylvania and, yes, he would wake up every Sunday when he was younger to watch the Penn State highlight show. But he’s really at Penn State for a different reason.
“I think I can help. I think I can be of service,” Knowles said. “Once you get past being young and thinking you’re gonna be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, 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?’ And 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.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM.
