Penn State Signs Jim Knowles, Becoming the Highest-Paid Defensive Coordinator
Jim Knowles was part of Ohio State’s national championship run as its defensive coordinator. Recently, he accepted Penn State’s offer for the same position. Also, football betting strategies experts expect him to be the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football history. According to sources, his salary will be an average of $3.1 million in three years.
For three stellar years, Knowles—a Philadelphia native with deep roots in the Northeast—improved the Buckeyes’ defense. While leading the country in total defense the previous two seasons, Ohio State held opponents to 254.6 yards per game and 4.2 yards per play in a historic performance.
Before his breakout year at Ohio State, Knowles was a leading light at Oklahoma State, where he guided the Cowboys to a 2021 Big 12 Championship Game berth and a top-five national defense. From 2004 to 2009, he coached at his alma school, Cornell, and before that, he had a stellar stint as defensive coordinator at Duke.
Knowing that Penn State has one of the best defenses in college football, Knowles will be responsible for maintaining that position. Before Tom Allen resigned after only one season to accept the same job at Clemson, the Nittany Lions were ranked sixth in the country. Over the last four years, the Nittany Lions’ defense has consistently rated in the top ten nationally, even though they’ve traded coaches three times.
Highest-Paid Defensive Coordinator in College Football
Despite intense competition from Oklahoma and Ohio State, Knowles accepted a huge contract offer from Penn State. With quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen returning for the 2025 season, Penn State will be among the national favorites. Andy Kotelnicki, also considered head coach, returned to Happy Valley instead.
Penn State was one of twelve teams to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals. By halftime, they led Notre Dame and were minutes away from the national championship game. However, they lost by a narrow margin. Invigorated by their performance, the Nittany Lions have spent significant money (NIL) to compete in 2025.
And perhaps most importantly, Kotelnicki turned Penn State’s fortunes around in 2024 when he was hired away from Kansas; he has declined head coaching possibilities to stay on staff in 2025. When 2025 rolls around, the Nittany Lions will be a heavy favorite among Americans. As if they were a legendary blue-blood team, the Nittany Lions have hired two significant coordinators in a row.
Loss for Ohio State
National championship teams frequently have coordinator turnovers. After Todd Monken departed in 2022 to accept a similar position with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning departed in 2021 to accept the position at Oregon. On the other hand, switching college coordinator roles does not happen very often. You’ll see more people learning how to be a bookie than a defensive coordinator transferring to another college.
It’s been at least 20 years since an Ohio State primary coordinator willingly accepted a position as a collegiate assistant. Given that essential players allegedly receive even larger transfer offers, the speculated compensation of over $3 million may be too much for a coach. According to reports, star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, for instance, has allegedly had offers of roughly $4.5 million to relocate. However, this does represent a significant change in the allocation of resources at top programs.
Before Knowles, Ryan Day and Urban Meyer, the former head coach of Ohio State, went through a series of defensive coordinators to establish continuity, particularly following Luke Fickell’s departure for Cincinnati. The Buckeyes have taken advantage of the market’s largest coordinator opening.
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