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Penn State football looks to be finalizing the biggest hire of the James Franklin era.
The Nittany Lions are reportedly landing arguably the top defensive coordinator in the nation, taking Jim Knowles away from Big Ten rival Ohio State, the new national champions.
And it appears that Franklin, athletic director Pat Kraft and university officials are willing to make Knowles, a 59-year-old Philadelphia native, the highest-paid assistant coach in the nation, in the process.
The move, which is expected to be finalized early this week, sends a shock wave through college football. It began being reported Sunday afternoon, shortly after Ohio State’s national title celebration in Columbus and less than a week after Knowles led his nationally-ranked defense on an impressive four-game ride through the College Football Playoff.
The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are coming off a 13-2 season — with a school-record for victories and games played — which ended in a heartbreaking defeat in the CFP but featured its own impressive defense under one-year-and-done leader Tom Allen, who recently left for Clemson.
Knowles is being hired to upgrade Penn State even more: To turn its elite defense into a national championship unit.
Here are three things to know about new PSU coordinator:
Penn State football: Jim Knowles was a head coach
Knowles is the third straight Penn State defensive coordinator with head coaching experience — a quality James Franklin has touted repeatedly in terms of unit ownership and leadership.
Knowles was the head coach at his alma mater, Cornell University, from 2004-09. He led the struggling Big Red to three-straight .500-or-better seasons for the first time in 14 years. His initial team was the first in Ivy League history to go from zero conference victories to a winning record the next season.
Jim Knowles has led top…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-hire-shake-college-213823778.html
Author : York Daily Record
Publish date : 2025-01-26 21:38:00
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