Knowles, a Philadelphia native with strong ties to the Northeast, transformed the Buckeyes' defense during an impressive three-year stint. Ohio State ranked top three in total defense each of the past two seasons and led the nation by holding opponents to 254.6 yards per game and 4.2 yards per play during a historic campaign.

Why is Jim Knowles a great fit to lead Penn State's defense? Get to know the former Ohio State assistant coach

However, Knowles wasn’t in attendance. About an hour later, reports surfaced that Knowles is leaving Ohio State to serve as Penn State’s next defensive coordinator. The move leaves Day searching for a replacement. Here’s who he might consider as he enters his seventh season as the Buckeyes' head coach.

Ohio State asked defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to skip the team's College Football Playoff national championship celebration while he considered a

Penn State has lured Tom Knowles away from Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have hired Knowles to serve as their defensive coordinator.

Guerrieri represents the continuity option. He's a Knowles guy through and through, initially coming with him to Ohio State as a senior analyst back in 2022. After a year apart at Indiana in 2023, Knowles missed him so much that he convinced Day to bring him back to Columbus, where he spent this past season as safeties coach.

Penn State football entered rarified air by stealing Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from the defending national champions.

Jim Knowles is expected to take the same position at Penn State, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. The two sides are finalizing a three-year deal reportedly worth $3.1 million per season, making him the first college football coordinator to earn an annual salary of at least $3 million.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are fresh off winning the program's ninth national championship and have already turned their attention to defending their title in 2025. In the days following the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff Championship Game triumph,

Now that the college football season has ended we have to wait until the end of August to watch our favorite teams play again for the 2025 season. However it’s never too early to talk about how we think our squads will fare in the upcoming season.

Penn State. Thirty-nine years after their last title, the Nittany Lions will defeat Georgia for the CFP title, Connelly writes for ESPN. In addition, Connelly predicts that Penn State will win their second Big Ten title under head coach James Franklin.