Jim Knowles was supposed to be the solution. He was supposed to be the one to get Penn State over the hump after James Franklin hired him away from Ohio State last offseason for a historic three-year deal worth over $3 million annually.
Now, he’s reportedly on his way out of Happy Valley after just one season as newly hired head coach Matt Campbell is bringing his longtime defensive coordinator Jon Heacock with him from Iowa State.
Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is not being retained by Matt Campbell, sources tell @On3sports.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) December 10, 2025
Former Ohio State and Oklahoma State defensive coordinator. https://t.co/bFtwfr9iif pic.twitter.com/pMtZsrH4pj
Matt Campbell reportedly moving on from Penn State DC Jim Knowles
For the 60-year-old Knowles, the Penn State job, along with a massive payday, represented an opportunity to have more autonomy over his defense while retreating back to his home state in the waning years of his career. Little did he know, he was boarding a sinking ship.
Despite Knowles’s defense allowing just 17 points in regulation, then No. 3 Penn State fell to Oregon 30-24, which sent the Nittany Lions’ spiraling. The preseason Big Ten favorites and No. 2 team in the country lost its next two games, falling to UCLA and Northwestern, leading to James Franklin’s firing. Then, with Terry Smith instated as the interim head coach, lost three more before rallying to reach bowl eligibility with a three-game win streak to end the year.
Knowles’s unit finished the season ranked 34th in total defense, 37th in scoring defense, and 49th in adjusted EPA/play. The Nittany Lions played most of the year without junior linebacker Tony Rojas, who was the team’s “green dot” player relaying the calls, until he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the two-overtime loss to Oregon.
Knowles was under contract for the next two seasons with a base salary of $3.1 million. He will be a top candidate for defensive coordinator openings across the country.
With Knowles out, Campbell will be expected to install Heacock as his defensive coordinator. He has been with Campbell as his defensive coordinator since his final years at Toledo, and remained his DC throughout his 10-year tenure in Ames.
Campbell will however, need to figure out a succession plan beyond Heacock, because there was speculation that the 65-year-old was going to retire after the 2025 season. With Heacock as DC, Penn State will likely also be overhauling its defense schematically from the program's traditional four-down front to Heacock's 3-3-5 structure.