Jim Knowles is reportedly heading to replace another former Penn State DC

Jim Knowles left Ohio State after helping to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship for a major payday at Penn State, and to return closer to home, having grown up in the Philadelphia area. However, after just one season in Happy Valley, he’s reportedly heading south to take the defensive coordinator job at Tennessee. 

On Wednesday, Pete Nakos of On3 reported that Knowles is out at Penn State with the arrival of head coach Matt Campbell and his longtime defensive coordinator Jon Heacock. Then, mere minutes later, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that Tennessee is expected to hire Knowles as its next defensive coordinator, replacing Tim Banks. 

Jim Knowles heading to Tennessee to replace Tim Banks as Vols’ defensive coordinator

While his final season with his biggest swing went bust, James Franklin had plenty of success hiring defensive coordinators in Happy Valley. He went from Bob Shoop for his first two seasons to Brent Pry and Tim Banks as his co-defensive coordinators in 2016. After the 2020 season, however, Banks left to become the defensive coordinator at Tennessee. 

After Banks’s departure for Knoxville, Franklin rode Pry for two more seasons before he became the head coach at Virginia Tech, then hired Manny Diaz, who served as his DC for two years before becoming the head coach at Duke. After Diaz left, Franklin hired Tom Allen, who was recently fired as the head coach of Indiana (and replaced by Curt Cignetti). Allen left for Clemson after one year, and Franklin hired Knowles away from Ohio State with a three-year contract worth over $9 million. 

Now, Franklin is the head coach at Virginia Tech, replacing Pry and keeping him on staff in Blacksburg, once again as his defensive coordinator. Campbell is the head coach in Happy Valley with Heacock as his DC, and Knowles is off to replace Banks on Josh Heupel’s staff. 

In 2024, Banks helped lead Tennessee to its first-ever College Football Playoff with a unit that ranked 6th in total defense and 7th in points per game. However, the Vols’ season came to an end in Columbus and the first round of the CFP at the hands of Ryan Day, Jim Knowles, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

This season, Banks was unable to make up for the talent that Tennessee lost to the NFL and injuries. Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was a first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons last spring, and defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott became a second-round selection of the Kansas City Chiefs, while star cornerback Jermod McCoy was lost for the year with an offseason injury, and CB2 Rickey Gibson III suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1.

Without them, Tennessee's defense ranked 88th in yards per game, and 92 in points per game. Knowles will have his work cut out for him in Knoxville after landing in Happy Valley with a ready-made defense loaded with veterans last offseason.