Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 5 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E D E F E N S E / / / / / / / the Duke football coaching staff on a visit to Penn State early in Franklin's tenure, Knowles took stock of a cul- ture he hadn't seen elsewhere. The way Franklin operated was different, he said. And in a fateful interaction, the foundation was set for the moves that would ultimately draw Knowles back to his home state. "I visited from Duke, and he called me in his office and started asking me questions when I was a guy who was just trying to be a fly on the wall," Knowles said. "He wanted to know how we did things with Coach Cutcliffe at Duke. That doesn't happen a whole lot, where you visit a place and then the head coach calls you in. He didn't know me. "But he's always wanting to learn new ideas or how other people do it. And I was impressed right off the bat. He's a lifelong learner. He's always open to new ideas, and he wants communi- cation. Coach Franklin is different." Knowles finished his seven-year stint at Duke on a high note. He transformed the Blue Devils' defense from one of the ACC's worst to one that was consis- tently respectable. In 2018, he headed to Oklahoma State with a new challenge in mind. Knowles was determined to build a great defense in the Big 12, a league better known for offensive fire- works. He ended up turning the Cow- boys into national leaders in multiple categories during a 12–2 season that ended with a No. 7 finish in 2021. Seeing how the game was evolving, and specifically how important NIL support had become as a condition for success, Knowles took another leap in 2022. This time, he joined an Ohio State program that was built to win, with championship-level players and a staff to match. Again, he thrived. The Buckeye unit he inherited ranked in the Big Ten's bottom half in total yards, passing yards and first downs allowed, as well as third-down defense and red-zone defense. But over the course of two seasons, Knowles steadily transformed it into one of the nation's better groups, culminating in top-five rankings in total and scoring defense. By the end of his third season, Ohio State had captured a national champi- onship with a defense that finished first in total yards and points allowed. "I went to Ohio State to have the No. 1 defense and win a national champion- ship — and did it," Knowles said. All the while, Franklin and Knowles had remained in touch. Discussions aimed at filling previous defensive coordinator vacancies at Penn State hadn't amounted to anything, but both coaches liked the fit. Following Ohio State's victory over Notre Dame in the CFP championship game, they talked again. Suddenly, the timing was right. Penn State had a vacancy after Tom Allen's surprise decision to leave for Clemson. And Knowles had a desire to keep moving, along with a deep-rooted admiration for Penn State's program, having grown up in Philadelphia and attended St. Joseph's Prep. "I believe in always trying to make myself uncomfortable and [pursuing] new challenges," he said. "Plus, my his- tory with Penn State as a kid — it was always in the back of my mind. It was always … 'Well, I'm going to coach at Penn State one day.'" The Nittany Lions had lost consen- sus All-America defensive end Abdul Carter and safety Jaylen Reed to the NFL Draft, but a number of other crit- ical players were retained, a list that included senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, senior defensive tackle Zane Durant, redshirt senior safety Za- kee Wheatley and junior cornerback A.J. Harris. Seeing a defense remi- niscent of last year's Ohio State unit, Knowles came to Penn State with as- pirations of competing at the highest level. "You're taking over a pretty good product, rather than trying to build it from Square 1," he said. "You've got to get from B-plus to A. There's a tough hurdle, but it's still not as far of a dis- tance. I felt like maybe I could have an immediate impact, rather than in the third year at Oklahoma State and sec- ond year at Ohio State. You just feel like you can have more of an immediate impact at Penn State, because they're already pretty close." With his priorities and aspirations aligned, Knowles accepted the offer. The deal was finalized and announced by Penn State on Jan. 26. Soon after, he landed in State College direct from Columbus, determined to attack the challenge with a sense of urgency that has defined his approach since. And this time, the yardstick has changed. Recently turning 60, now coaching in his home state, Knowles has no desire to chase the next big op- portunity. He's building a home in State College with an intent to stay. The goal now is focus — and impact. "There's no time to wait," he said. "You've got guys who have come back when they could have moved on to the NFL, so there's a sense of responsibil- ity. This is not a two-, three-year build. This has to be impactful and successful right away." ■ "There's no time to wait. You've got guys who have come back when they could have moved on to the NFL, so there's a sense of responsibility. This is not a two-, three-year build. This has to be impactful and successful right away." K N O W L E S F A S T F A C T S : D E F E N S E Coordinator: Jim Knowles (first season) Starters returning: CB A.J. Harris, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, DT Zane Durant, LB Tony Rojas, S Zakee Wheatley Other returnees with starting experi- ence: CB Elliot Washington II, CB Zion Tracy, LB Dominic DeLuca Starters lost: CB Jalen Kimber, DE Abdul Carter, DT Dvon J-Thomas, MLB Kobe King, S Jaylen Reed