The Jim Knowles saga continues, and per a report, whether or not he becomes the next Penn State defensive coordinator “feels like a coin flip.”
In the same report,Georgia Stoia of SoonerScoop wrote that “the Jim Knowles sweepstakes is expected to come to an end in the hours following Ohio State’s National Championship parade.”
The latest on Jim Knowles and OU's defensive coordinator pursuit https://t.co/zxl5pnmfOI
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) January 26, 2025
He also reported that many in the industry believe Knowles will leave Ohio State.
This aligns with what Nittany Sports Now reported earlier this week.
Although the question of when Knowles will make his decision appears to have some clarity, what that decision will be doesn’t seem as certain. Will he stay at Ohio State, which has reportedly offered him a chance to become the highest-paid college defensive coordinator ever? Will he go to Penn State, which has reportedly offered him $3.2 million? Will he go to Oklahoma, which has offered him slightly less at $3 million but is where his fiancée is from? Or will he surprise everybody and succeed Al Golden at Notre Dame?
KNOWLES AND OKLAHOMA
COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 16: Ohio State Buckeyes Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers Coach Jim Knowles before the The LiFEsports Spring Game, presented by Union Home Mortgage at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on April 16, 2022. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire)
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.As one could imagine, the SoonersScoop article on Knowles focused on Oklahoma’s pursuit. Interestingly, Stoia’s article said that Knowles reached out to OU head coach Brent Venables, not the other way around, doing so not long after previous DC Zac Alley left for West Virginia Dec. 28.
“Knowles expressed interest in the Sooners’ opening due to his personal connections to the state,” Stoia wrote. “Obviously, Venables wanted to make it happen. The two agreed to further their conversations shortly after the Buckeyes’ national title run.”
But negotiations complicated in the days following, per Stoia. Knowles and his agent, Pete Roussel, talked almost entirely with Venables and not Oklahoma’s administration. Then, Penn State and Notre Dame got involved, Roussel became the main point of contact and Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Penn State each offered Knowles the chance to become America’s richest assistant coach.
Stoia reported that by Friday evening, Knowles stopped communicating with all schools involved, Ohio State included. Ohio State “does not want to lose Knowles and was blindsided by his flirtation with other programs.”
WHERE EVERYTHING STANDS
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 10: Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles walks off the filed during the CFP Semifinal Cotton Bowl Classic football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns on January 10, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire)
Toward the end of his article, Stoia gave a solid summery of where everything stands in the Knowles sweepstakes.
“Many inside the Barry Switzer Center viewed Knowles coming to Norman as a long shot from the beginning. Some still do. Right now, it feels like a coin flip with many industry sources believing he will leave Ohio State. The Sooners are as much in the dark as anyone as of Sunday morning. They have not heard from Knowles or Roussel since Friday. The hope is for Knowles to decide after Ohio State’s celebration on Sunday afternoon.”
