Jim Knowles has left Ohio State less than a month removed from winning a national championship with the Buckeyes. It’s a major move not only for Knowles but one that has the potential to shake up the Big Ten and national college football landscape entering 2025.

On Tuesday, Knowles met with the media as he settles into his new post at Penn State working for James Franklin. The longtime defensive coordinator reflected with gratitude for his time spent in Columbus, saying he had a strong relationship with head coach Ryan Day and the players.

“I’m grateful for my time at Ohio State and the opportunity that Coach Day gave me,” said Knowles. “We had the No. 1 defense in the country. We won a national championship. Had great relationships with the players, Coach Day and the administration. Felt supported.”

So, why did Knowles make the move to leave that situation? He referenced his childhood growing up in the inner-city portion of Philadelphia where Penn State football was the golden standard for everyone around.

While Knowles never had the talent as a player to make the dream of playing Nittany Lions football come true, his work as a high-caliber assistant afforded him the opportunity to choose where he wanted to continue his career. For the near future, that destination is Penn State.

“You reach a point in your career where you’re given opportunities based on past performance. Penn State, for me, growing up in inner-city Philly, was the epitome of college football when I was a kid,” Knowles described. “I was never talented enough to make it to Penn State as a player, but given the opportunity to do it now as a coach, it’s really where I want to be to continue my career and bring any expertise I can to the organization.”

On the surface, Jim Knowles’ job might not be as difficult in Happy Valley as it was to begin his time in Columbus. He inherited a Buckeye defense that allowed 22.8 points per game in 2021 (38th nationally) and turned it into a top-2 defense in 2023 and 2024. Ohio State led the nation in points per game allowed this year (12.9) while winning the national title.

At Penn State, Manny Diaz and then Tom Allen had the defense humming along with top-10 units each of the past 3 seasons, but that will not be the standard for Knowles. He is clearly brought on to help the Nittany Lions — and James Franklin — get over the big game hump with wins over the elite B1G squads and a national championship.

We’ll see if Knowles can indeed return PSU to its former glory and a national title soon enough.