Penn State’s first-year DC directed a championship defense at Ohio State last season. His 2021 Oklahoma State defense put up extraordinary numbers. Knowles even has head coaching experience (Cornell).

The new Nittany Lions defensive coordinator spoke about his goals during the introductory press conference on Tuesday

Knowles has carved out a stellar career for himself. His stock took off as Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator from 2018-21. He’s been at Ohio State since 2022, producing top defenses and first-round picks. He might be the best DC in the country.

The Nittany Lions' new defensive coordinator opened up about leaving Ohio State for Penn State after winning a national championship — and how he thinks he can help the football team he always viewed as the sport's gold standard.

Penn State has reportedly added Shane Eachus as a defensive backs coach and Brent Zdebski as an analyst. Both have previously worked with Knowles in some capacity at previous stops in his coaching journey.

Jim Knowles was introduced as Penn State’s defensive coordinator in a Tuesday press conference, a little more than a week after news broke that he was leaving Ohio State. Knowles joining Penn State is a big move for both parties.

Penn State introduced new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to the media on Tuesday afternoon. The 2025 Pro Bowl games have concluded, which involved a flag football game. The NFC prevailed overall by a score of 76-63,

As hard as it may be still for some to believe, Jim Knowles is Penn State football’s defense coordinator, and the program has added