Knowles, a Philadelphia native with strong ties to the Northeast, transformed the Buckeyes' defense during an impressive three-year stint. Ohio State ranked top three in total defense each of the past two seasons and led the nation by holding opponents to 254.6 yards per game and 4.2 yards per play during a historic campaign.

Penn State has received plenty of praise over the past few weeks for retaining talent. Its latest move, hiring one of the nation's best defensive coordinators, has people buzzing.

Why is Jim Knowles a great fit to lead Penn State's defense? Get to know the former Ohio State assistant coach

Guerrieri represents the continuity option. He's a Knowles guy through and through, initially coming with him to Ohio State as a senior analyst back in 2022. After a year apart at Indiana in 2023, Knowles missed him so much that he convinced Day to bring him back to Columbus, where he spent this past season as safeties coach.

Jim Knowles has left Ohio State for Penn State. His three-year deal will make him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football, sources told ESPN.

Penn State has lured Tom Knowles away from Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have hired Knowles to serve as their defensive coordinator.

Penn State football entered rarified air by stealing Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from the defending national champions.

The Ohio State Buckeyes star Caleb Downs issued a sincere admission about former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' decision to leave the school for a job with the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are fresh off winning the program's ninth national championship and have already turned their attention to defending their title in 2025. In the days following the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff Championship Game triumph,

Now that the college football season has ended we have to wait until the end of August to watch our favorite teams play again for the 2025 season. However it’s never too early to talk about how we think our squads will fare in the upcoming season.

While everyone in college football is already talking about Penn State's new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, it's possible that not everyone is realizing how much his betrayal of Ohio State benefits his new club.