Jim Knowles (DC Penn St.)

[woofermazing]

Someone, maybe 11W, did a break down of his defenses at Oklahoma State after the hire and pointed out that statistically his best year actually came after they had just lost a bunch of talent. They had to play more zone, and couldn't be as aggressive. They ended up getting a ton of sacks anyways, probably because you can get so exotic with zone coverages from a three safety look.

So if Day laid down the law about big plays after Oregon, and the D suddenly improved. That actually kinda fits.

 

[Steve19]

The criticisms levelled at Knowles the first two years really reflect the lack of control over the defense due to a defensive line coach who clearly refused to follow instructions and a head coach who refused to bring order.

It's funny how Knowles seemed to be so much smarter after the loss to Oregon. I can't imagine how angry and frustrated that I would be when I found out that I could not run the defenses I called without negotiating with a prima donna in his sunset years. I honestly think, I would have packed up and left after the first year.

It has been strange to watch the criticism of Knowles. I get that he did not recruit well, but neither has Johnson. The fact remains that Knowles put up with constant criticism that arose from matters outside his control and which should have been inside his control. He took a defense from a ranking outside the top 50 to an undisputed #1 ranking. Without his defense, Ohio State is not in the national championship run.

I appreciate what Knowles contributed to Ohio State. He brought back the Silver Bullets. I am sad to see him go to a Penn State team that many are picking to win the national championship next year. He takes a lot of knowledge with him, especially about recruiting prospects.

All of this said, I hope very much to see his new team leave their dreams on the field when he returns to Ohio Stadium.

 

[shetuck]

And those top two WRs caught as many balls in one of their playoff games as I did.

that’s what she said…

 

[shetuck]

Pretty much. She's better off logging off and ignoring it. But I get why she can't resist protecting family. Even if family screws up. You can call them out but others is not ok.

my grandfather used to say “don’t expect pity when you’re going around yanking your own nutsack and screaming in pain.”

it’s her own thing. nobody gave her that job. it’s not even a thing... there are infinitely more meaningful ways to show the world how much you love your family by clicking on a keyboard.

to each his own. smh at what passes for “honor defend” for some people.

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

Guys, we will be just fine.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Gruden and Cowher must've already turned us down

 

[shetuck]

Where will his wife move this time?

bucks county and tennessee have a lot in common.

 

[pnuts34]

"Judas" Jim, has a ring to it

 

[Mike80]

Meh - yeah the final destination is questionable (and then some) but his leaving didn't shock me at all.

When your boss basically says he had to fix your area of expertise in a public setting, usually that doesn't quite assuage the egos.

Knowles system only works when he has safeties who can play the run like linebackers but also cover like corners - i.e. "elite" safeties. Ped State doesn't have that. Ped State is also losing most of its front 7.

 

[pnuts34]

The effect Knowles is having on Ped St recruiting so far, when recruits were interviewed about the hire:

"Cool"

Elbert Hill

"My thought is that I have no words. That’s a shock after having the season they did. Definitely more to it than I think it seems"

I asked for him to follow up on how it impacts Penn State, but he didn't respond, so I left it out for now. I'll add it if he chimes in on PSU, but he's clearly more upset about Knowles leaving Ohio State than anything PSU-related.
Cincere Johnson

"Penn State hiring Jim Knowles away from Ohio State as their new defensive coordinator is a significant move. Knowles has a strong track record of developing top-tier defenses, and his experience at Ohio State will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Penn State. This hire could potentially elevate Penn State's defensive unit, making them more competitive in the Big Ten. It also shows Penn State's commitment to investing in a high-caliber coaching staff to enhance their program. Overall, I think it's a strategic and impactful hire that could pay off in the long run for Penn State."

David Davis(yes, he actually used ChatGPT for his answer)

 

[BuckBackHome]

Can someone explain to me how much he was involved in recruiting at OSU? I don't recall seeing much about him getting out on the trail a ton.

 

[Buckeye86]

Can someone explain to me how much he was involved in recruiting at OSU? I don't recall seeing much about him getting out on the trail a ton.

Him getting on the road or making personal connections to recruit was basically non-existent. His impact as a guy that ran a good defense was probably a factor used by the other coaches actually doing the recruiting, though.

 

[pnuts34]

I'm enjoying reading the Ped St message boards. They are so freaking worried, because they know they don't have close to the talent that OSU had last year. And now are trying to convince themselves that Caleb Downs is transferring to Ped St
And they keep asking themselves how good of a recruiter he is! They're in for a rude awakening when they don't have OG Walt, MG, LJsr and JL to prop up his lack of recruiting prowess. They're also under the impression that him graduating from St Joes Prep, will somehow make a difference in that school

"...former Oklahoma State defensive back Tanner McCalister, who followed Knowles to Ohio State..."

So, now we can count on Caleb Downs to follow him to Penn State.

 

[RB07OSU]

I know there were some rumors of he and LJ bumping heads over the usage of DE's (don't think LJ was a fan of the "Jack" position being a DE)... maybe it went deeper than that.

Yeah that rumor seemed to be a "where there is smoke, there is fire" situation. It might just be that they butted heads and didn't like each other in general. Maybe he knew this group of players would be his best defensive he would ever have and 8 out of 11 of your starters are now gone. Maybe he wasn't happy with the internal system or fans/media.

It has to be one or a combination of the above that drove that decision when we would've matched whatever he was offered and he just came off a #1 defense and title run. Nobody makes a lateral move (at best) in the scenario without something else being seriously wrong.

Next man up! Wonder if Tim Walton will get the nod?

I can see Day moving towards a more NFL oriented coordinator.

Love Walton but I am not sure he is ready for that step yet. I would guess a more NFL oriented coordinator but I have no idea tbh. Sometimes promoting from within is the best move for a number of reasons, but an outside DC could make a lot of sense with an almost entirely new defensive unit. Probably need to change up the scheme with Knowles leaving.

Thanks for everything, but fuck off.

I feel the same for two reasons. The biggest one is he went to PSU (obviously) and it wasn't for the HC job. The second is that we implemented the Knowles scheme and also recruited to implement it. Now we are looking at likely having a new system and despite my comment above, we will have many players unlearning the concepts of the Knowles scheme to some extent because I don't see anyone running his scheme here.

I could be wrong on the second part and we've recruited talented players that can adapt, but his move is going to almost undoubtedly set us back even more after losing the vast majority of our starters. Not ok by me even with the mixed feelings of turning our defense around and helping us win a title.

 

[osuvictory1]

Yeah that rumor seemed to be a "where there is smoke, there is fire" situation. It might just be that they butted heads and didn't like each other in general. Maybe he knew this group of players would be his best defensive he would ever have and 8 out of 11 of your starters are now gone. Maybe he wasn't happy with the internal system or fans/media.

It has to be one or a combination of the above that drove that decision when we would've matched whatever he was offered and he just came off a #1 defense and title run. Nobody makes a lateral move (at best) in the scenario without something else being seriously wrong.

Love Walton but I am not sure he is ready for that step yet. I would guess a more NFL oriented coordinator but I have no idea tbh. Sometimes promoting from within is the best move for a number of reasons, but an outside DC could make a lot of sense with an almost entirely new defensive unit. Probably need to change up the scheme with Knowles leaving.

I feel the same for two reasons. The biggest one is he went to PSU (obviously) and it wasn't for the HC job. The second is that we implemented the Knowles scheme and also recruited to implement it. Now we are looking at likely having a new system and despite my comment above, we will have many players unlearning the concepts of the Knowles scheme to some extent because I don't see anyone running his scheme here.

I could be wrong on the second part and we've recruited talented players that can adapt, but his move is going to almost undoubtedly set us back even more after losing the vast majority of our starters. Not ok by me even with the mixed feelings of turning our defense around and helping us win a title.

Walton was a DC at U of Miami and Memphis, as well as the St. Louis Rams. Arguably has battle scars.

If Day installs a Co-D system, which had been done on multiple occasions at OSU, with a battle scarred veteran, Walton, and a up and comer who knows the Knowles system, Matt G, it could be a successful recipe.