After deciding to move on from Tim Banks after a season where the Vols struggled on the defensive side of the ball, Tennessee is hoping to make a splash at defensive coordinator.
ESPN shares this afternoon that Josh Heupel and the Vols are working to finalize a deal that would bring Jim Knowles to Rocky Top.
Knowles is not being retained by Matt Campbell, the new head coach at Penn State, and the veteran defensive coordinator helped the Buckeyes win the national title a year ago before bolting to Happy Valley.
Pete Thamel adds that Knowles is owed more than $7 million by Penn State on the two years that remain on his deal, according to his contract.
At Ohio State, by year three installing his defensive system, the Buckeyes led the country in yards allowed, scoring defense and red zone defense and ranked among the top 10 in a number of other key defensive metrics as well. In just his second season, they ranked second nationally in scoring defense.
Before joining Ryan Day's staff in Columbus prior to the 2022 season, Knowles was the architect of stingy and aggressive defenses at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy from 2018-21, where his units improved year after year as they began to understand the unique intricacies of his defensive system. The Pokes defense was ranked #4 nationally in scoring defense under his leadership in his final season in Stillwater.
That 3-year build has become somewhat of a calling card for Knowles. Year one is solid, year two is much improved, and year three is really when things start to click with a bunch of the returning players.
The 60-year old defensive coaching veteran has also called defenses at Duke and Western Michigan earlier on in his career as well.
At Tennessee, he is set to replace Tim Banks, who is just a year removed from being a finalist for the Broyles Award.
Banks had signed a new deal with the Vols about 11 months ago, after being in the mix for a number of head coaching jobs last cycle. Our own John Brice adds that Banks is owed roughly $3.75 million in guaranteed money, and has offset obligation to seek employment elsewhere.
This past fall, the Vols defense ranked 92nd nationally in scoring defense, allowing nearly 29 points per game after they replaced a number of high profile players.
At Penn State, Knowles was working with a three-year deal that averaged $3.1 million per season as the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football.
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