Jim Knowles comes to Penn State as arguably the best defensive coordinator in the country.
His defenses have been impressive at nearly all of his stops as a coordinator.
Schematically there was a reported rift with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Sr. at Ohio State and it seems as though it’s a reason among many others for why Knowles was willing to join James Franklin’s staff and program that was a win away from the national championship game this past season.
Knowles prefers a hybrid defense which can look like a 3-3-5, which is the base defense, a 4-2-5, which Penn State ran under Tom Allen this past season or even a 5-1-5 which allows an immense ability to be flexible and disguise blitzes and pass rushes much like the one below in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Texas.
PSU DC Jim Knowles has a great scheme, but checkout how he meticulously lines up his defense to create the leverage and matchups that he wants ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SyTJQJuZIE
— LandonTengwall (@landon_tengwall) January 26, 2025
He wants to get matchups he can take advantage of and with the returning front PSU, there really shouldn’t be much of a difference schematically than what has been seen in previous years by Allen and Manny Diaz.
Jim Knowles and the search for the ultimate hybrid defense.
The Ohio State DC has created a blueprint for an elite hybrid defense that stems from his days in Stillwater.
| https://t.co/BltIpVjxev
— pic.twitter.com/AGsE2ql24d— Cody Alexander (@The_Coach_A) January 20, 2025
It plays right Penn State’s strengths and should bode well for guys like linebacker Tony Rojas, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and the safeties. Knowles loves running three safeties with one often playing at or near the line of scrimmage.
Penn State’s roster will provide Knowles with depth in the front seven and the defensive backfield which allows Knowles freedom to put his players in positions to succeed and playmakers to make plays.
He’s going to be aggressive up front, but have the secondary be able to make plays as well. Under Knowles, Ohio State had 10 blown coverages this year compared to 23 for PSU including one which cost Penn State the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.1 Day until Notre Dame takes on Ohio State for the National Championship☘️🏆
Jaden Greathouse breaks two defenders ankles on his way to a huge game tying Touchdown against Penn State👀☘️#GoIrish #NationalChampionship #BeatOSU #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/iSmIWFglIi
— Ryan Fravel (@Fravel_Ryan) January 19, 2025
Those numbers put OSU tied for 13th in the 18-team Big Ten. PSU was at the top of the conference with the most.
This type of defense is susceptible to the run but that requires the safeties especially to fill in run gaps and make plays, something Penn State has had success with. He’s also known for playing safeties closer to the line of scrimmage at about eight yards off the ball to combat this. This should mean good things for Zakee Wheatley and King Mack.
Ohio State was among the top in all of college football under Knowles as was PSU, but Knowles provides an immediate upgrade and allows him total control of the defense. That total control is something Franklin has always given to his coordinators with giving his input.
There were rumors abound that Knowles and Johnson struggled to align as well as rumors recently that Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Knowles were having trouble in paradise. Despite the internal turmoil, the Buckeyes were still able to win the national championship.
As of now, it’s expected Penn State will retainin most if not all of its defensive coaches including Anthony Poindexter who was in the running for the defensive coordinator position.
Penn State co-DC Anthony Poindexter, a key figure in the Knowles hire, is expected to remain on staff under a new contract, sources tell @YahooSports.
In line to be DC before Knowles’ interest, Poindexter supported the hire and spoke to Knowles this week https://t.co/QkQVcqc0lX pic.twitter.com/XvjEAZGe72
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 26, 2025
While the cost of winning is high, the window for the Nittany Lions is wide open. Now, they’ll be doing so with a guy who seemingly will fit in immediately upon arrival to the Lasch Building.
