Former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who left Columbus for the Penn State Nittany Lions but has since been fired from Happy Valley, is now with the Tennessee Volunteers. And things seem to be going pretty well. On paper.
Bleacher Report's Brad Shepard deemed the Vols a portal winner because of the work he's done so far in the January window in the wake of his December hiring. Shepard took it a step further and predicted the Vols can get back to the top of the SEC under Knowles.
"A year after making the College Football Playoff, Tennessee tumbled to an 8-5 record thanks largely in part to a horrific defense that ranked 92nd nationally and led to the firing of coordinator Tim Banks," Shepard prefaced before saying, "Josh Heupel quickly replaced him with veteran defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and what the Vols have done to rebuild that side of the ball quickly is nothing short of remarkable. They've got one of the top portal hauls in the nation, and it's defense-heavy."
"Starting Michigan safety TJ Metcalf committed most recently, giving the Vols a star on the back end to go along with Dejuan Lane, who was with Knowles at Penn State. Other former Nittany Lions who followed their coordinator include defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Amare Campbell, and star edge Chaz Coleman, who will be paired with Jordan Norman (Tulane) coming after quarterbacks."
"Former Kansas State defensive back Qua Moss and cornerback Kayin Lee (Auburn) round out an elite defensive haul that will help offset several young, talented Vols who left for the portal after Banks was let go."
"Tennessee isn't done on that side of the ball, either. The Vols have a chance to surge back to the top of the SEC in defense if Knowles can get everything to mesh quickly."
Matt Patricia made Jim Knowles look bad this past season
Knowles' Nittany Lions defense's looking so ineffective, despite the blue-chip talent in tow, showed how much he may have benefited from the talent GM Mark Pantoni brought to the Buckeyes roster. Matt Patricia's defense proved the same thing.
OSU gave up more than 20 points just once this past season. Had they possessed the same offensive talent that the 2024 team did, we might be talking about the Buckeyes the same way the College Football world is talking about the Indiana Hoosiers, as they look to go 16-0 this Monday in the CFP title game against the Miami Hurricanes.
Knowles lucked out in Cbus. His defense wasn't always great during his three-year stint under Ryan Day, but it was enough in his final year to get him hired by two historical programs like Penn State and Tennessee.
The once great coaching prospect had a setback, but could springboard back to relevance under Josh Heupel at Tennessee. Only time will tell to see if Knowles' career recovers from the Nittany Lions' 2025 lows.