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Penn State has never been closer to the national championship during the modern era than it was in 2024.
The Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff semifinals for the first time in the debut season of the 12-team field before falling to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame in the final moments of the Orange Bowl. Unlike several teams in the playoff last season, Penn State returns a plethora of starters next fall, and coach James Franklin is pushing every button to make 2025 the all-in year for the program.
It’s one reason why Franklin hired away Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles less than one week after he won a national title, luring him with the richest salary for an assistant coach in the sport ($3.1 million per year).
“So close, so close, right?” Knowles said Thursday at his introductory press conference in State College. “I think I can help, I think I can be of service.”
Defense has rarely been a weakness at Penn State, consistently ranking in the top 10 nationally, but pulling Knowles, who led the nation’s best defense last season at Ohio State, has reinvigorated the Nittany Lions’ championship hopes.
Penn State has long been on the precipice of a breakthrough — six double-digit win seasons, including a school-record 13 wins in 2024, in the last nine years — but has fallen short of playing for the national title. Like Ohio State in 2024, Penn State is taking a page from the Buckeyes’ playbook, investing heavily on a make-or-break season with revenue-sharing for players and a top-tier staff with championship experience.
“I have one aspiration,” said Knowles, 59. “I’m at that point in my career where you focus solely on the job at hand, and my aspiration is to help Penn State win the national…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/jim-knowles-zeroes-in-on-helping-penn-state-reach-national-championship-aspirations-thats-not-just-talk/
Author : Brandon Marcello
Publish date : 2025-02-04 20:37:00
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