Penn State football losing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles: Reports
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It appears that Penn State football will be working under a new defensive leader for the third straight year.
The highly-regarded Jim Knowles will not remain as defensive coordinator under new head coach Matt Campbell, according to multiple national reports. Rather, Knowles is expected to move to the SEC with the Tennessee Volunteers, ESPN senior college football writer Pete Thamel reported Wednesday.
Penn State made Knowles the highest-paid assistant in college football history last winter, at more than $3 million per year, after he helped lead Ohio State to a national title. The Nittany Lions‘ defense, though, struggled for significant stretches this season, especially after losing star linebacker Tony Rojas in late September.
Knowles had replaced Tom Allen, who also led the Lions’ defense for just one season under former head coach James Franklin.
Penn State could owe Knowles more than $7 million for the final two years of his contract, barring buyout negotiations.
It’s unclear who will lead the Penn State defense now in the Pinstripe Bowl vs. Clemson under Campbell and interim leader Terry Smith. PSU had already reportedly lost two assistants this week to James Franklin and Virginia Tech − tight ends coach Ty Howle and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien.
Knowles had been hired to help raise Penn State’s defense to a national title level after following successful Franklin coordinator in Brent Pry, Manny Diaz and Allen. But the Lions struggled to stop running quarterbacks against UCLA and Iowa and caved late against Northwestern and Ohio State.
Even mediocre Rutgers blitzed the PSU defense for 533 yards in the regular-season finale, despite the Lions rallying at the end to win.
Knowles, 60, expects to replace Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks − who also had worked under Franklin at Penn State.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football losing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles: Reports
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