Jim Knowles’ appointment as Penn State’s new defensive coordinator is a significant move.
Knowles is reportedly leaving Ohio State to join the Nittany Lions, where he is anticipated to earn more than $3 million annually, making him the highest-paid coordinator in college football history.
Knowles led a team that led the country in 2024 in both scoring and total defense, and he was a major contributor to Ohio State’s championship-winning defense. With this high-profile hire, Penn State, which placed in the top ten defensively the previous season, hopes to expand on its success.
After Manny Diaz left for Duke and Tom Allen joined Clemson as defensive coordinator, this is Penn State’s third defensive coordinator in as many seasons. Knowles, a native of Philadelphia, has a wealth of coaching experience, having held positions at Duke and Oklahoma State.
Although Knowles’ selection suggests a significant commitment to bolstering the defense and preserving Big Ten competition as Penn State prepares for the 2025 campaign, it falls short.
Tom Allen wasn’t the issue at Penn State, but Nittany Lion supporters may say whatever they want about him. The defense kept the Nittany Lions from losing the College Football Playoffs. Their defense kept them from losing to Ohio State during the regular season. The defense kept them from losing to Notre Dame. Their inability to score consistently caused them to lose.
Although Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will join Drew Allar in the backfield in 2025, there are still a lot of people who are applauding his return questions, especially in the passing game, on that side of the ball. What if Harrison Wallace and other wideouts were lost?
Instead of hiring a defensive coordinator to earn over $3 million, Penn State should focus on improving their offense if they want to win a national championship in 2025. Would it be detrimental to add Jim Knowles, who is most likely a better coordinator? No, but it also won’t significantly boost the team’s performance.
On defense, Penn State was already outstanding. Let’s now assume that they improve their defense even further. That’s fantastic, but winning requires points. Playing defense alone did not help Ohio State win the national championship. They succeeded because Will Howard, their quarterback, was a deadly weapon with both arms and legs; they scored 42, 41, 28, and 34 in their playoff games.
After scoring more than 30 points in games against SMU and Boise State (many of which were aided by the defense forcing turnovers), Penn State, who may have had the easiest route of any team in the semifinals, could only produce 24 points against Notre Dame in their defeat.
Penn State went out and won the competition for one of the top defensive coordinators in college football because they needed one. They should be commended for that.
It will take more than simply having a top-tier defense, though, if James Franklin hopes to lift the golden scepter the following season. He will also need to work on the offense and develop it.
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