STATE COLLEGE – Jim Knowles had been on James Franklin’s wish list as a potential Penn State defensive coordinator since at least 2021.
But not until after Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame in the national title game last month did Franklin think the Nittany Lions’ chances of hiring Knowles away from the Buckeyes were legitimate.
“It was a twisting, turning process,” Franklin said Tuesday in his first public comments about adding Knowles. “I think I got a call at 5:40 in the morning two days after the national championship game. That’s when I thought that it may be real, that we may have a chance.”
Less than a week later, Penn State hired the 59-year-old Knowles and signed him to a three-year contract worth more than $9 million, which made him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football.
Franklin thanked Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi and director of athletics Pat Kraft for their support in landing Knowles, who also considered leaving Ohio State for Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
“When you’re able to go out and compete with who we competed with to get arguably the best defensive coordinator in college football, I’m very, very appreciative of that,” Franklin said. “I know there’s a ton of excitement from our players. There’s a ton of excitement from the fans. There’s a ton of excitement from our alumni and lettermen.
“In terms of commitment, it’s been phenomenal. It’s been all you could ask for. In the last two years, the commitment level has met the expectations. There are very few places in the country that can actually say that.”
Knowles replaced Tom Allen, who left Penn State after one season to become defensive coordinator at Clemson and to be closer to two daughters and several grandchildren.
Shortly after Allen told Franklin he was leaving, the Lions reportedly approached USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, a former Penn State defensive back. But he decided to stay in Los Angeles when the Trojans gave him a new contract and a raise.
“There were guys that you thought maybe you could get and then you couldn’t,” Franklin said. “We looked at NFL guys and college guys and kept narrowing the list. I hadn’t made any offers and then this became a possibility.”
At Ohio State, Knowles guided a defense that finished first in the country in total defense and scoring defense. A Philadelphia native, he established a reputation as a bright defensive mind at Duke and then Oklahoma State before spending the last three seasons with the Buckeyes.
Franklin had talked to Knowles in December 2021 shortly after defensive coordinator Brent Pry, one of his longtime assistants, left Penn State to become head coach at Virginia Tech. Knowles wound up going to Ohio State and the Lions ended up hiring Manny Diaz, who enjoyed two very successful seasons before he became head coach at Duke.
“We spoke a couple years back when the position was open so that helped,” Franklin said. “We already had a familiarity with each other.”
Franklin wouldn’t say what he thought the chances were of getting Knowles when Allen resigned or if he was on a short list of candidates.
“If we lose somebody at any position, it’s a painstaking process to fill it,” Franklin said. “There aren’t as many qualified people out there as people may think. We want to make sure we get the right person.
“I’ve been at places where you have a dream list and they’re not really realistic. Your dream list at Penn State is realistic, specifically now with the support that we have.”
