Philly’s Jim Knowles brings his defensive success to Penn State, saying the Lions are ‘so close to winning it all’
Knowles won a national title as Ohio State's defensive coordinator last month. He is happy to relocate to a program he followed as a child.
As he grew up in North Philadelphia, Jim Knowles recalls, the family television had only three channels. On Sundays, Knowles remembers watching the highlights of the Penn State game from the previous day, hosted by former Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno’s brother, George. Knowles says the coaches he had growing up revered Paterno, rolling up their pants just like the longtime coach did on the Penn State sideline for 45 seasons.
Fifteen days after he won a national title as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator, Knowles sat down at the podium in Happy Valley on Tuesday, wearing the school’s emblem he grew up watching.
“Penn State for me, growing up in inner-city Philly, was the epitome of college football,” the Lions’ new defensive coordinator said. “When I was a kid, 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 that I can to the organization.”
» READ MORE: Penn State to hire Philly’s Jim Knowles to run its defense after three seasons at Ohio State
Knowles was a standout linebacker and center at St. Joseph’s Prep, graduated from the school in 1983, and went on to play defensive end for Cornell. He’s endured a long coaching career that began at his alma mater in 1988, and after stops at Western Michigan (1997-2002) and Mississippi (2003), he was Cornell’s head coach from 2004-09.
After he left Cornell to take over as Duke’s defensive coordinator in 2010, Knowles spent 15 years in that role, with his most recent stops at Oklahoma State and Ohio State. Wherever he has coached, Knowles says his Philly roots have been a constant driving force in building connections with his players. His coaches growing up “were all cops, firemen, maintenance men. And they were hard on you, they were challenging to you.”
“Even with the players I’m always all for a guy that’s going to challenge the coaching,” Knowles said. “Kind of that back-and-forth that you get growing up [in Philly] where you where you’re willing to speak your mind. You accept it when you make a mistake, but you challenge it if you have a different opinion. And I think you learn not to take things personally. … I coach that way, like ‘We’re in this for you,’ and that I knew that they were in this for me.”
Knowles’ Ohio State defense was the top-ranked unit last season. The Buckeyes ranked No. 1 in the country in yards allowed (254.6) and points allowed per game (12.9), were second in first downs allowed per game (15.1), and third in passing yards (167) and rushing yards per game (87.6).
Joining the Nittany Lions will be a unique challenge compared to Knowles’ previous stops. Penn State’s defense ranked seventh nationally in total defense (294.8 yards per game), eighth in points allowed (16.5), and ninth in rushing yards allowed (101.9) last season under Tom Allen, who’s now with Clemson.
The 59-year-old Knowles credits Penn State’s sustained success on defense, despite multiple coordinators in recent years, to coach James Franklin, who “has made it conducive to be successful on defense,” and says the “proof is in the numbers.”
» READ MORE: James Franklin says Penn State is ‘that close’ to winning it all. A new baseline for success has been set.
Knowles plans to call his defense from the press box on Saturdays, which allows him to “think and remain calm” in countering opposing offenses. In a practice setting, though, Knowles describes himself as emotional and challenging.
“That’s the biggest thing to me, is to make sure that we have answers for the players to be able to succeed, to put them in the right positions, right? We’ve all watched football, and can see where there’s a gaping hole or a busted coverage,” Knowles said. “I never blame the players for that. I always take responsibility if something happens negatively. The players know that in the game, that’s my responsibility.
“Anybody who watches [my defense], you’re just going to see that guys are in the right places,” Knowles added. “… There’s enough disguise built into the defense so that our opponent doesn’t know exactly what we’re in. I think that’s a big deal. I think that gives our players the best chance to succeed.”
Knowles says Penn State is “so close to winning it all” and believes he can “be of service” to help the program get over the hump.
The next month in the lead-up to spring practice will include Knowles meshing his defensive system and process with the already intact defensive assistants, including fellow Philly native and defensive line coach Deion Barnes, safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, associate head coach and secondary coach Terry Smith, and defensive analyst Dan Connor, who also coaches linebackers. He called them “veteran coaches who have been successful but are also really low-ego guys.”
Though he’s been an architect of successful defenses at several schools, Knowles has no further aspirations than being where his feet are. It’s been more than 15 years since was last a head coach and he says his only focus is bringing his defensive success to Happy Valley.
“I’m at that point in my career where you focus solely on the job at hand,” Knowles said. “My aspiration is to help Penn State win the national championship and be the No. 1 defense in the country, and that’s really all I’m focused on. That’s not just talk. That’s the truth. I don’t have any aspirations beyond that.”