Penn State made a major coaching hire this month when it poached defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
Knowles, 59, spent two years in Columbus, and his defense played a major role in Ohio State winning its first national championship in a decade this season. Penn State is reportedly paying the Philadelphia native $3 million annually, making him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the sport. The Nittany Lions officially introduced Knowles at a press conference on Tuesday.
After Knowles left OSU, there were reports that a “rift” had formed between himself and head coach Ryan Day. Whether that’s true or not, Knowles sent a brief message to Day in his opening statement today.
“I’m grateful for my time at Ohio State and the opportunity that Coach Day gave me. We had the No. 1 defense in the country, we won a national championship,” Knowles said, via 247Sports’ Tyler Donohue.
Knowles also called Penn State “the epitome of college football” from his days growing up in Philadelphia, which echoed his words from his introduction to his new team last week.
“We had like three channels on TV. You got up Sunday morning and you watched the Penn State highlights, because I grew up in Philly,” Knowles told PSU players.
“Penn State was everything, it was everything. That’s what we aspired to be. I couldn’t get there as a player, but through a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of really good players, that allowed me to reach the point in my career that I could really pick wherever I wanted to be. Growing up as a kid, Penn State was everything – this is where I want to be.”
Penn State has not beaten Ohio State since 2016, but the Nittany Lions may enter 2025 as the Buckeyes’ biggest challenger in the Big Ten, and maybe nationally as well.
Knowles switching sides only adds more juice to this already hot rivalry.
Related: Jim Knowles Doesn’t Hold Back On Leaving Ohio State For Penn State