While it became clear in the last few days that Jim Knowles might be looking for defensive coordinator opportunities outside of Ohio State, his move to Penn State was still shocking.
Coming off of a national championship and with the Buckeyes ready to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, Knowles took a reportedly similar offer to run the Nittany Lions defense. He does hail from Philadelphia, but that's a three-hour drive from State College, Pennsylvania.
While we don’t know exactly what prompted Knowles’ decision to leave Ohio State – though we suspect differences in opinion on his defensive scheme had something to do with it – we do know that Ohio State must now find a defensive coordinator to lead a defense that will be replacing eight starters in 2025.