Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 8 M A R C H 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M M eeting with Penn State beat re- porters for the first time dur- ing a Feb. 4 news conference, new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was asked about the influence of athletics director Patrick Kraft on his decision to take the job. Kraft has shown an intense commit- ment to helping Penn State compete for Big Ten and national championships, and there was considerable specula- tion about the extent to which Kraft's voice had helped convince Knowles to hop aboard after three highly successful seasons at Ohio State. Turns out, it hadn't. "I did not, during the process, have that much contact with Pat because it all really went through Coach Frank- lin," Knowles said. "I just always got the sense that he was in the background willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. "It just always came through Coach Franklin that he has tremendous sup- port from the AD, and from the presi- dent. You felt the alignment in the conversations that I had with Coach Franklin. But I didn't get to deal with Pat very much in the process." Knowles didn't need to. And, of similar significance, neither did Kraft. The splashiest hire of college football's offseason, and arguably the most sig- nificant assistant coaching acquisition in Penn State history, could instead be distilled down to James Franklin's voice. For Kraft and the Nittany Lions, that meant maintaining a high degree of trust in Franklin to target and land the right candidate. For Knowles, it came down to an understanding of Franklin as the program's ultimate decision-maker and cultural compass. 'There's A Ton Of Excitement' Penn State's interest in Knowles, a 59-year-old Philadelphia native, doesn't need much explanation. He presided over one of the top defenses in the country during his tenure in Colum- bus. The Buckeyes led the nation this past year in scoring defense (12.9 points per game) and total defense (254.6 yards per game) among other categories, cul- minating in a national championship. Before joining Ryan Day's staff, Knowles spent four seasons as defen- sive coordinator at Oklahoma State, and seven seasons at Duke. Over the past four years, Knowles' units have led the FBS in total defense (248.8 yards per game) while ranking second in both scoring defense (15.7 points per game) and defensive third-down efficiency (30.5 percent). Knowles had been on Franklin's radar for years, but with the Buckeyes com- ing off a national title, there was little reason to think that he was a realistic candidate to succeed Tom Allen, who had left for Clemson after just one season with the Nittany Lions. Franklin hadn't talked to Knowles or even to his agent. The Nittany Lions were looking else- where in their search. But just two days after the College Football Playoff championship game, Franklin received a predawn phone call. It was Knowles, and his interest in the position sent the Nittany Lions' search in a different direction. "We had been talking to a ton of other guys and vetting and going through the process, but it's a twisting and winding deal," Franklin said. "There are guys who you think you may be able to get, and you can't. We looked at NFL guys, we looked at college guys and kept narrowing the list down. We hadn't made any offers. And then this became a possibility. "Getting to figure out both sides' in- terest levels took a little bit of time," he added. "And then, are you actually go- ing to be able to get it done? From our perspective, we knew what other jobs were open, some really good jobs, so that played a factor in it as well. I would say he was on an initial list, but there were a lot of people on that list." As Franklin noted, the Lions had to compete against several other schools with ample resources. Ohio State wanted to retain him, while Oklahoma and Notre Dame were looking for new defensive coordinators. In the end, the Lions got their man. Penn State hasn't released the contract terms, but ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Knowles signed a three-year deal with an average base salary of $3.1 mil- lion per year. He could also reportedly Statement Statement Win Win By outdueling other top schools to land Jim Knowles, Penn State signals its determination to compete at college football's highest level NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M "As you move forward in your career, you really start thinking, how can I be of service? Where can I add to a great team and be a part of a great team? This is the place." K N O W L E S