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Field or Press Box?: Penn State DC Jim Knowles on Where Heโ€™ll Coach This Season

Penn State has officially hired Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator.
Graphic by Penn State Athletics: Jim Knowles

It seems like new Penn State DC Jim Knowles already knows where heโ€™ll be coaching next season.


Now that the improbable happened in luring Knowles away from Ohio State to be Penn State footballโ€™s new defensive coordinator, itโ€™s time to start making plans for what could set up to be a special season in State College.

โ€˜You Donโ€™t Mess Around With Jimโ€™: Penn State Set to Hire Jim Knowles as Defensive Coordinator

Knowles, a one-time head coach at Cornell from 2004-09, ran the No. 1 defense in the nation last season at Ohio State and was a big part of its national championship.

Another Big Ten Team Wins it All, Penn State Waiting Turn


The longtime defensive coordinator implied he would coach from the press box next season.

โ€œThat allows me to get the best vision on the action, and with the iPads now and the communication directly to the players in the helmet, I can still be very connected,โ€ Knowles said. โ€œAnd thereโ€™s a lot more time to think up there.โ€

A defensive coordinator can sometimes be very animated during games but Knowles has worked to control his emotions over his 36-year coaching career.

โ€œIโ€™ve worked hard on being emotional and challenging in practice, and coaching with an edge in practice. But in the game, thatโ€™s not my job,โ€ Knowles said. โ€œThe best place to be to think and remain calm and stay a couple plays ahead is to be in the press box. Thatโ€™s just what Iโ€™ve found for myself.

โ€œI really try to stay centered. My job is to not cheer or react or yell. No one is going to hear me up there anyway. My job is to think and be composed.โ€

Knowles grew up in Philadelphia as a Penn State fan but never had any relationships to the university and didnโ€™t have the ability to get there as a player. His family didnโ€™t have the money to attend games, and State College felt like it was as far as California.

โ€œPenn State for me growing up in inner-city Philly was the epitome of college football,โ€ Knowles said. โ€œI was never talented enough to make it to Penn State as a player, but given the opportunity to do it now as a coach, is really where I want to be to continue my career.

โ€œI think I can help. I think I can be of service. This is the place because everything here is so close to winning it all. Iโ€™m hopeful I can help get it there.โ€

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