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Jim Knowles pins Ohio State departure on timing of contract offer
By Paul Harvey
Published:
In what became one of the stunning moves of the offseason, longtime defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left Ohio State for Big Ten rival Penn State. Now with the Nittany Lions, James Franklin and company hope Knowles is the key to a breakthrough this fall after just missing the national title game last year.
Now, Knowles has gone in-depth into what led to his final decision to leave the staff of Ryan Day, fresh off a national title together. According to comments made to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, Knowles largely blamed the timing of Ohio State’s contract offer as a reason for his departure.
Knowles revealed he would have accepted an offer to remain in Columbus without exploring other options if the Buckeyes had extended that offer prior to the national championship game.
“I did not want to put anyone, including myself, in a position to have to deal with it immediately following the national championship game,” he said. “And that’s the way it happened.”
With the Buckeyes stalling without a deal, Knowles said he had to investigate other opportunities.
“Season’s over, everything coming to a head again quickly,” Knowles said. “Ohio State hasn’t come forward with a deal, and it’s like, OK, if I’m going to act on this or at least explore it, I have got to make the call.”
Ultimately, Knowles said there was some consideration to taking Ohio State’s offer, which was for less money than his deal to become the highest-paid DC in the country at Penn State. However, Ohio State asking him not to attend the national championship celebration made the situation “awkward” and feel like the writing was on the wall.
“Maybe I’ll take less because Ohio State’s a great place,” he said, “but then they asked me not to come to the parade. So then you’re like, ‘OK, honestly, the writing is on the wall.’ Now it becomes something. It’s always something on the outside world, but now it’s become something here, too. I hadn’t made any decisions, but you just kind of feel like — I wouldn’t say I’m not wanted here — but you just feel like, OK, now it’s gotten awkward.”
On the flip side, Franklin said that his leadership, including AD Pat Kraft, didn’t flinch at the asking price of Knowles.
“In years past, we wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Franklin said… “Pat and the president. Not lip service to say we’re trying to win at the highest level.”
Knowles did go on to say that coaching at Ohio State was among the toughest environments he has ever coached in, though he downplayed the impact of that environment on his final decision.
“It’s real,” he said about the scrutiny that comes with coaching at Ohio State. “Anybody who works there will — if they’re being honest — will tell you that it’s real. It’s almost like a badge of honor there. It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, well this is Ohio State. This is what you have to expect. This is just the way it is here.’ If you give up a touchdown but you win 63-7, somebody somewhere is going to have something to say about it.”
No matter how it all played out, Knowles enters his first season at Penn State with the Nittany Lions containing massive expectations. After appearing in the Big Ten Championship Game last season and advancing to the CFP semifinals, a key core is back to work with in 2025.
Now, it’s up to Knowles to get the most out of his defense while giving the Nittany Lions a chance to win at the highest level.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.