Why Penn State DC Jim Knowles can help the Nittany Lions win their biggest games
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jim Knowles installs hybrid nickel role to boost Penn State's defensive flexibility.
- Zion Tracy leads position after injury absence, drawing praise from Knowles.
- Knowles' scheme targets top-tier opponents like Oregon and Ohio State in 2025.
In the 11+ years since James Franklin took over as Penn State’s head coach, defense has rarely been an issue. He has, time and time again, hired elite defensive coordinators who have put together elite units on that side of the ball. So when Tom Allen left the program in January for Clemson, it was expected that whoever was brought in would once again do the same.
But what wasn’t expected was that Franklin would poach the best in the country at the job from the national champions — less than a week after the confetti dropped onto Ohio State.
That’s what happened when he hired Jim Knowles. And while Knowles is going to merge what Penn State does well with what he does well, he’s also likely to change the group more than coordinators like Allen, Manny Diaz or Brent Pry have.
“There are some tweaks and changes in the secondary,” Franklin said at the program’s local media day. “I think there are some tweaks and changes up front, too. We have been predominately, really, since Manny came, an attack front defense and we have been predominately a man cover team and we’ll still do those things. ... In the secondary we’ll just have more coverage diversity, which I think will be important because there’s going to be two or three games a year where you just can’t line up and play man. And that coverage diversity will be important for us moving forward.”
And one of the ways those adjustments will be made is with the use of the team’s fifth defensive back.
What is usually a nickel corner in most 4-2-5 defenses is a chess piece for Knowles — and should be the key to unlocking the best defense in the country.
Knowles puts a lot on that player’s plate because of the importance of the role.
“It’s the versatility of it, right?,” Knowles told the Centre Daily Times at media day. “It’s that guy who could play the run if needed, who can cover man, who can play all the underneath zones, who can play the high safety zones. It really is a hybrid safety, corner, and at times outside linebacker. You really have to have all those skills.”
The Penn State defensive coordinator originally picked up the 4-2-5 defense from Gary Patterson when Patterson was the TCU defensive coordinator in 2000 — back when spread offenses with potent passing attacks began their ascent to popularity in college football. Knowles saw Patterson take it from a substitution package to a base defense, and decided to adopt it, too.
But the role he uses now isn’t exactly the same as the one he used then. It’s continued to evolve as the college game — and college offenses — have evolved.
“I think it’s continued to turn into more of a cover position, less of an outside linebacker type,” Knowles said. “And I think what we’ve done with it is, expanding it to more of the deep safety role, which is a lot different.”
That’s not to say the role is exclusively about coverage. There’s a level of physicality that’s required at every position in a Knowles defense, and the nickel defensive back is no different. There will be times when that player is asked to mix it up near the line of scrimmage and make plays closer to the snap than usual.
And, so far, the players competing for the role have shown what it takes to meet that demand, according to special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach/nickels coach Justin Lustig.
“Zion Tracy and Kolin Dinkins and Kenny Woseley, they’re guys that can cover, but they’re also really physical and can tackle and play in tight spaces when they need to get a big running back on the ground,” Lustig said following Thursday night’s practice. “So when you have guys that can do all those things, it gives [Knowles] a lot of tools to do a lot of different things with.”
That’s part of the appeal for the players, too.
“He has more plays in (the playbook) for the nickel to be more of a football player,” Tracy said at media day. “I can really play more using my football knowledge to do what I wanna do. ... When I’m at corner, you’ve got your man. But at nickel, let’s say I know a play is coming, I’m even closer to jump it.”
Tracy has been the prohibitive favorite to start at the position after earning the nickel job last season, but it would’ve been reasonable to expect some competition with the role changing now that Knowles is in charge.
But despite Tracy missing spring ball due to an injury, he’s still stood out. Knowles saw what he did on film last season and has seen enough in the early days of fall camp to believe in what he can do for the defense.
“He’s looked great,” Knowles said. “I think he’s got a real chance (to excel).”
Tracy’s development and ability to step up in the role will be important. He and the other nickel defensive backs will have a chance to change Penn State’s season this year. Knowles will be deploying them in ways that will give the Nittany Lions an advantage. Because that’s why he was brought to Penn State. It’s not about what he can do against Nevada and Villanova. It’s about what he can do against Oregon and Ohio State.
And there’s reason to believe what he can do is help the Nittany Lions beat those types of teams this season.
